Maybe, It Pretty Much Always Means No

by Soul Places | Diane Ludeking

“It seems to me that maybe, It pretty much always means no.” ~ Jack Johnson, Flake 

Have you ever tried to make plans with someone, they respond with, “Maybe,” and you just know they are saying it to be nice?  They have no intention of finalizing any plans with you.  I understand if someone needs to check his or her calendar or see about other potential plans, but being strung along just feels crummy.  Unless you’re a highly trained, well-bred Greyhound, chasing the bone around the track may not be very gratifying.  Applying the Toltec Four Agreements has helped me move on, but the Fifth has helped me capture the elusive prize.

The Fifth Agreement is:

Be Skeptical, But Learn To Listen

“Be skeptical is masterful because it uses the power of doubt to discern the truth.”  Initially, I wanted to reject this agreement.  I don’t want to walk around all day doubting the words coming out of people’s mouths.  Believing what people say is what I was taught, “Do as I say, not as I do.”  Even my own self-talk is what I had come to believe, “I can’t do that.  Who do you think you are?”

Having sufficient evidence that the other four agreements forever changed my life for the better, I continued to turn the page, be skeptical, and listen.  By adopting an attitude of doubt, I can question the truth in what’s being said.  My truth.  I can agree, disagree or not engage at all.  In the case of my own self-talk, anything that goes against my true nature of love can be transformed.  The First Agreement of Be Impeccable with Your Word helps me with this.  With diligence (Agreement Four), I can attain the prize.

And what is the elusive prize?  You decide.  Don’t believe my version of it.  But here it is in the instance that I’ve hooked your attention:  It’s not some cheap plastic bone at the end of a competitive sprint.  But energy I have lost by investing myself in any message that is not true.  When my doubt announces that maybe means no, I resume my life enlisting the tools of Agreements Two and Three.  And every now and again, I am pleasantly surprised when maybe means yes.

The Five Agreements:
1. Be Impeccable With Your Word
2. Don’t Take Anything Personally
3. Don’t Make Assumptions
4. Always Do Your Best
5. Be Skeptical, But Learn To Listen