4 Toltec principles that deal with relationships

The Toltecs were an ancient civilization that managed to dominate much of Mexico.

Much has been said about their contributions to the history of human development, and although this town has disappeared, it can still find in their past and their way of seeing life elements that can inspire us to manage our lives more successfully relations. For something they were considered "women and men of knowledge".

Related article: "40 wise phrases to reflect on life"

The Toltecs and popular wisdom

Based on the doctrine of this ancient culture, the Mexican Michael Ruiz wrote the book The 4 agreements of Toltec wisdom.

These principles refer to Yorelatively simple ideas but not so easy to put into practice; however, once we master them, our lives will be freer from communication problems with the people around us.

4 Toltec principles to better relate

If you are wanting to know What are these four Toltec principles to improve our interpersonal relationships?Here's a quick summary. If you want to investigate more about this civilization, you may be surprised by the wisdom that their culture emanated.

1. "Be impeccable with your words"

This principle consists of keep in mind at all times that once we have spoken what has come out of our mouth can never be erased again, and it has already had some effects on our listeners.

This is the aspect of language that some philosophers call the perlocutionary speech act. This does not mean that we should talk less, but rather that we should reflect on the good or bad impact of what we say, and not just on whether what we say is true or not. It's about not speaking impulsively.

2. "Don't take anything personally"

It is very common that due to the actions of other people, we get in a bad mood; that is partly because we depend a lot on the opinion of others and we rarely stop to think that perhaps the other person is projecting his problems and insecurities onto us.

Thus, it is worth it that when someone is making us feel bad, we stop for a moment to think about the saying: "what Juan says about Pedro says more about Juan than about Pedro."

3. "Don't make assumptions"

Answer this question: the times that you have imagined or fantasized that the things that others talk about have to do with you, are they negative or positive things? If you answered that they are positive, bravo, you are one of the few people who think so; but if you answered that they are negative, don't be scared, there is an explanation.

There is a theory according to which human beings tend to give more importance and credibility to bad news. due to survival instinct. Now, if we assume that others have a negative idea of ​​us, how much damage can we not do to another person? How much negativity will go through our heads while we are thinking such a thing? Gossip is something that damages our social relationships and can be prevented in a relatively simple way: asking questions and clearing up doubts.

4. "Always give your best"

This idea can be summed up like this: the day you give your maximum effort, in the best way you can and as you believe, It is when you will accept the consequences of your actions in the best way.

It is important to point out that it is good to find a balance in what we do. Give what we can give, do what we can do, but without committing ourselves to offer more than we can give, since that will only serve to produce stress and frustration. This Toltec principle deals with the importance of accepting and knowing our limits, because at Knowing them will also make it easier for us to know if we are doing less or more than we could do.

food for thought

It must be remembered that these are 4 principles or "agreements" inspired by an old civilization whose living conditions are very different from ours.

Therefore, it is our task to know how to interpret them well if we want to make them useful. However, despite the practice and effort required to know how to apply them, it is easy to find in them a profound lesson on social relationships and on how to find a balance between oneself and the social environment.