{"id":74,"date":"2026-01-01T19:20:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T23:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=74"},"modified":"2026-01-01T22:42:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T02:42:47","slug":"always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fourth Agreement: Always Do Your Best (Don Miguel Ruiz)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The first three agreements in Don Miguel Ruiz\u2019s The Four Agreements<\/a><\/em>\u2014being impeccable with your word, not taking things personally, and not making assumptions\u2014are powerful, but they’re difficult to maintain. Ruiz asserts that the fourth agreement, “Always do your best,” is the glue that allows the others to become deeply ingrained and effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to see how the first three agreements work only if you do your best, day in and day out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Originally Published: June 18, 2019<\/em>
Last Updated: January 1, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Does It Mean to Do “Your Best”?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It is a simple concept, but first, it\u2019s important to understand that your best isn\u2019t a constant; it will vary. Sometimes you\u2019re fresh and vital; other times you\u2019re tired. Sometimes you\u2019re healthy, and sometimes you’re sick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fourth agreement\u2014Always do your best\u2014refers to the best you can do under your current circumstances.<\/strong> In fact, your best can change even from moment to moment. And that\u2019s OK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Danger of “Giving 110%”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your best doesn\u2019t mean trying to do more than you\u2019re capable of in the moment. Doing more than your best actually depletes your personal energy and makes the journey harder. Conversely, doing less than your best leaves you with guilt, shame, and regret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re giving your best, you\u2019re taking action without expecting a reward. While rewards will come, they aren\u2019t the end goal. You simply enjoy the process<\/a> of performing at the peak of your ability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why “Always Do Your Best” Changes Everything<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you commit to the fourth agreement, you transform your quality of life in three major ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. You\u2019re more productive.<\/strong> You gain positive momentum when you put out a good product you take pride in.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. You\u2019re kinder to yourself.<\/strong> You\u2019re less likely to be hard on yourself because you\u2019re proud of your effort, regardless of the outcome.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. You\u2019re happier.<\/strong> It\u2019s easy to be happy when you aren\u2019t heaping blame on yourself for a shoddy effort.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    When you can truly say you did your best, you’re set free. There is no room for the “Inner Judge” to find fault. Doing your best isn\u2019t about being perfect; it\u2019s about learning from mistakes<\/a>, practicing, and looking honestly at your results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    A Note on Inspiration:<\/strong> Ruiz personally defines \u201cdoing his best\u201d as a ritual and a way of honoring God. He feels the best way to honor, love, and thank God is by doing your best. (Shortform note: Of course, everyone will have their own inspiration for and definition of doing their best.)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    Tips for Applying the Fourth Agreement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    To successfully integrate the fourth agreement into your life, consider these strategies for always doing your best:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    #1: Let Go of the Past<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Don’t judge yourself for past shortcomings or a poor job you did years ago. What\u2019s important is what you do from this point forward. Focus on new opportunities rather than old regrets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    (Shortform note: In The Power of Now<\/a><\/em>, Eckhart Tolle recommends using your body as a tool to pull your mind back into the present. When you have negative feelings about the past or anxiety about the future<\/a>, pay attention to your breathing, close your eyes, relax your body, and take a few deep breaths.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    #2: Master Your “Yes” and “No”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Learn to say \u201cno\u201d when you want and \u201cyes\u201d when you want. By setting these boundaries, you stop yourself from taking on things you don\u2019t want to do, allowing you to spend your time on things that uplift you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    (Shortform note: Gary Keller\u2019s The One Thing<\/a><\/em> notes that it\u2019s human nature to want to be helpful to others, but the more things you say \u201cyes\u201d to, the less successful you\u2019ll be at any of them. He offers tips on saying \u201cno\u201d in ways that are diplomatic and helpful to the other person, such as suggesting someone else who might say \u201cyes\u201d or suggesting another approach that doesn\u2019t require your help.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    #3: Practice Self-Compassion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    If you fall short on following the four agreements, keep trying. Keep your attention on today, and stay in the present moment. If you do falter, remember that your best effort is relative to your circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    (Shortform note: In The 5 AM Club<\/a><\/em>, Robin Sharma asserts that success isn\u2019t linear or achieved by nonstop maximum effort. Instead, it\u2019s more like a pendulum, cycling between high-effort periods and cycles of rejuvenation and rest. This aligns with Ruiz\u2019s point that your best effort will vary over time. And, if you do falter in trying to follow the four agreements, experts say that practicing self-compassion<\/a> is more likely to help you bounce back from mistakes<\/a> than self-criticism.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    #4: Take Action<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Doing your best is ultimately about taking action. Without action, these ideas stay in your head. When you take action, you’re expressing who you really are<\/a> and living the agreements in the real world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    <\/p>\n

    The fourth agreement is also a simple concept, but it will allow the other three agreements to become more deeply ingrained and effective. After all, the first three agreements can truly work only<\/em> if you do your best.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Doing your best frees you from guilt and shame. You feel great about yourself when you\u2019ve given your best effort. <\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":146958,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[5],"class_list":["post-74","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-self-improvement","tag-the-four-agreements","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Fourth Agreement: Always Do Your Best (Don Miguel Ruiz) - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What does it mean to always do your best? Learn why the fourth agreement is the glue that lets the others become ingrained and effective.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Fourth Agreement: Always Do Your Best (Don Miguel Ruiz)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What does it mean to always do your best? Learn why the fourth agreement is the glue that lets the others become ingrained and effective.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-01T23:20:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-02T02:42:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/employee-submitting-report-to-boss.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"571\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\"},\"headline\":\"The Fourth Agreement: Always Do Your Best (Don Miguel Ruiz)\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-01T23:20:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-02T02:42:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/\"},\"wordCount\":839,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/employee-submitting-report-to-boss.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"The Four Agreements\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Self-Improvement\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/\",\"name\":\"The Fourth Agreement: Always Do Your Best (Don Miguel Ruiz) - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/employee-submitting-report-to-boss.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-01T23:20:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-02T02:42:47+00:00\",\"description\":\"What does it mean to always do your best? Learn why the fourth agreement is the glue that lets the others become ingrained and effective.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/employee-submitting-report-to-boss.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/employee-submitting-report-to-boss.jpeg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":571},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Fourth Agreement: Always Do Your Best (Don Miguel Ruiz)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World's Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\",\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\"},\"description\":\"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.\",\"sameAs\":[\"rina@shortform.com\"],\"award\":[\"Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)\",\"Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)\",\"Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)\",\"Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)\"],\"knowsAbout\":[\"History\",\"Theology\",\"Government\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Senior SEO Writer\",\"worksFor\":\"Shortform\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Fourth Agreement: Always Do Your Best (Don Miguel Ruiz) - Shortform Books","description":"What does it mean to always do your best? Learn why the fourth agreement is the glue that lets the others become ingrained and effective.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Fourth Agreement: Always Do Your Best (Don Miguel Ruiz)","og_description":"What does it mean to always do your best? Learn why the fourth agreement is the glue that lets the others become ingrained and effective.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2026-01-01T23:20:13+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-02T02:42:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":571,"url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/employee-submitting-report-to-boss.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Elizabeth Whitworth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Elizabeth Whitworth","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/"},"author":{"name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13"},"headline":"The Fourth Agreement: Always Do Your Best (Don Miguel Ruiz)","datePublished":"2026-01-01T23:20:13+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-02T02:42:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/"},"wordCount":839,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/employee-submitting-report-to-boss.jpeg","keywords":["The Four Agreements"],"articleSection":["Self-Improvement"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/","name":"The Fourth Agreement: Always Do Your Best (Don Miguel Ruiz) - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/employee-submitting-report-to-boss.jpeg","datePublished":"2026-01-01T23:20:13+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-02T02:42:47+00:00","description":"What does it mean to always do your best? Learn why the fourth agreement is the glue that lets the others become ingrained and effective.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/employee-submitting-report-to-boss.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/employee-submitting-report-to-boss.jpeg","width":1200,"height":571},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/always-do-your-best-fourth-agreement-don-ruiz\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Fourth Agreement: Always Do Your Best (Don Miguel Ruiz)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World's Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13","name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Elizabeth Whitworth"},"description":"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.","sameAs":["rina@shortform.com"],"award":["Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)","Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)","Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)","Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)"],"knowsAbout":["History","Theology","Government"],"jobTitle":"Senior SEO Writer","worksFor":"Shortform","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/employee-submitting-report-to-boss.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":146969,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74\/revisions\/146969"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}