A Book That Made Me Question How I Think
Sometimes you pick up a book and it changes the way you think.
Recently, my mentor recommended I read The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. He told me it was a book that changed him, and after reading it, I can understand why.
The book is built around four simple agreements:
Be impeccable with your word.
Don’t take anything personally.
Don’t make assumptions.
Always do your best.
At first, I remember thinking, “Really? That’s it?” They almost sound too simple.
But the more I reflected on them, the more I realised that simple doesn’t mean easy. In fact, some of life’s simplest principles are often the hardest ones to consistently live by.
The agreement that stood out to me the most was:
Don’t make assumptions.
Because the biggest assumptions we make are often not about other people. They’re about ourselves.
We all have stories we tell ourselves. Stories about what we’re capable of, what we deserve, what is possible and what isn’t.
The challenge is we rarely question these stories. Over time, we start accepting them as truth, and those stories quietly influence the decisions we make.
We don’t have the difficult conversation. We delay the decision. We convince ourselves that “one day” will be a better time than today. We rule things out before we have even explored what might be possible.
I’ve seen this countless times working with clients.
Sometimes the breakthrough isn’t finding a better investment strategy or a more effective financial structure.
It’s helping someone realise that the biggest thing holding them back isn’t their circumstances. It’s the story they have been believing for years.
This is something I’m trying to become more aware of in my own life, and it’s also something I want to embed in my children.
Because the greatest wealth we can build is not just financial.
It is the ability to think clearly, challenge ourselves, make better decisions and create a life aligned with what truly matters.
That was my biggest takeaway from this book.
Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs don’t come from learning something new.
They come from questioning something we always believed to be true.
Have a great week,
John Cachia
Founder & CEO of Thriving Wealth™
