When Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said in a radio interview Tuesday morning that he reads a certain book every year by a shamanic teacher and healer, it took only minutes for that book to shoot up the charts on Amazon.com.
As of mid-morning, “The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom” by don Miguel Ruiz (described as a Toltec Wisdom Book) was approaching No. 50 on Amazon, not bad for a 1997 book that falls into the category of "Native American Demographic Studies.”
What is it about this book that makes Brady want to re-read it every year? And is it really that different from, “A Gronking to Remember”?
In his WEEI interview, Brady said the book “is kind of a mantra for my life,” and that one of the book’s themes is ‘‘Don’t take things personally.’
The book is summarized as focusing on four life practices to “create love and happiness in your life.” On Amazon.com, the summary says: “Rooted in traditional Toltec wisdom beliefs, four agreements in life are essential steps on the path to personal freedom. As beliefs are transformed through maintaining these agreements, shamanic teacher and healer don Miguel Ruiz asserts lives will “become filled with grace, peace, and unconditional love.”
The website Toltec Spirit, which was the publisher of the book, lists the four agreements of life as:
1. Be Impeccable with your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the Word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your Word in the direction of truth and love.
2. Don’t Take Anything Personally: Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.
3. Don’t Make Assumptions: Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.
4. Always Do Your Best: Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.
On his own website, Ruiz, who lives in San Diego, says this: “First published in 1997, The Four Agreements has since sold over five million copies in the United States and seven million worldwide. It has been translated into 38 languages, appeared on the New York Times bestseller for over seven years, and was the 36th bestselling book of the decade.”
Brady, in his interview with WEEI’s John Dennis and Gerry Callahan, said he first read the book around 2002, which would have been after his first Super Bowl victory.
Doug Most can be reached at dmost@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @Globedougmost