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Here you'll find my infrequent musings and reflections on all things that impact our beliefs and potential.
Are your assumptions true?
22 June 2022
When was the last time you made an assumption? Chances are it was pretty recently. It’s easy to do it all day long. We assume that person let the door go in our face because they’re rude. We assume our message hasn’t been responded to because they don’t want to talk with us (or is this just me?). We assume our thoughts will go ignored so don’t bother speaking up. We assume that we won’t get a pay rise if we ask for it. If we’re really stuck, we might assume that there’s nothing we can do to change our lives for the better, so we stay stuck.
But the truth is we all have these stories we tell ourselves. Assumptions that we make despite not knowing the facts (or the multi-facets that make up each individuals’ reality).
We make assumptions based on what we believe, and when our beliefs are faulty, our assumptions are faulty too. We can stay in this cycle forever, or we can test our assumptions to find out what’s true or not, and challenge what to really believe.
So instead of assuming something you’re going to do is doomed to fail, put it to the test and see. Maybe you’ll be right. But maybe you’ll be wrong. The only way to know for certain though is if you actually try.
Walk yourself through these steps to identify your dodgy assumptions and replace them with truth:
- 1. Pick a couple of areas you’re struggling with most. Maybe it’s finances and social life. Or maybe it’s career and wellbeing. Whatever areas you pick – the areas you’re struggling with most are usually the areas you’re making the most incorrect assumptions about.
- 2. Find someone who’s doing better than you in those areas. Who’s the person you find yourself making comparisons to?
- 3. What do they do wrong? Now think about this, what are they doing that in your opinion ‘should’ be holding them back?
- 4. Test this assumption. Might you be wrong? Is there a way to test your hypothesis and discover the truth? Remember, good experiments take more than one single test. This might take a few weeks and a few more people to test your assumption on.
Rinse and repeat. Keep on testing your beliefs and assumptions. So many times people don’t go after something they dream off because they incorrectly believe it’s not possible, or they’re bound to fail, or they’ll be told no. Test it and find out if you’re actually right or if you might just be wrong. Of course, sometimes you’ll find your beliefs are right. But I’m willing to bet that more times than not, you’ll be wrong.
The opportunity to challenge your beliefs and assumptions is a gift that keeps on giving. Let me know some of the amazing things you do when you challenge your assumptions and smash some goals!
Challenging your assumptions will push you out of your comfort zone. And with that comes changes to our perceptions and experiences as we grow. Ultimately these shifts in our mindset alter our approach to life for the better and reap the positive benefits that can be gained.
What’s not to love about that?
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