Assumptions can be a powerful thing

The thing is assumptions are not always accurate. Have you ever met someone and immediately formed an opinion of what that person is like from the way they talk and act, only to discover later that your first impression was entirely wrong.

Or perhaps you’ve read a blog post, a facebook comment or an email, and based on the words and tone used, you’ve made an assumption about the author. How can you even begin to assume what a person is really like from a few words?

Assume – “to take to be true without proof”

Emails, blogs and comments on social media are very 'here and now' forms of communication, they aren’t necessarily a full indication of who a person is.

We all do it though, we all make assumptions. Sometimes the assumptions are right and sometimes they’re wrong.

People assume that I’m confident because of the job role I have and because of the way I speak and present myself. I’m a fairly confident person - yes, but assuming that I don’t have doubts, or that I don’t question my own abilities or that I don't get fearful about new situations is ridiculous.

The reality - I once suffered so badly from anxiety attacks that I was terrified of leaving the house, I wrote about that time in my life here. It wasn’t exactly good feeling so anxious with a baby and young child and I was incredibly adept at hiding how I felt from loved ones as well. I’m sure many ‘assumed’ though that I was doing just fine.

The funny thing is I’m just as guilty of making assumptions as the next person, about people I meet, blogs I read, conversations I overhear, people I see at the shops and on the streets. Never assume that you know the real person or the truth about a situation until you have all the facts, and never assume that things can’t change.

I visit some blogs which I don’t make comments on because I assume that from the person’s words that they’re confident and capable and that my little ol’ comment would be considered ridiculous. Self-esteem and confidence are strange beasts though. The most confident person can still have fears and concerns like everyone else.

So put your assumptions aside and see what you can discover about your friends, your co-workers, your neighbours and anyone else you meet this week.

Cheers, Fi

“Assumptions are dangerous things to make, and like all dangerous things to make -- bombs, for instance, or strawberry shortcake -- if you make even the tiniest mistake you can find yourself in terrible trouble. Making assumptions simply means believing things are a certain way with little or no evidence that shows you are correct, and you can see at once how this can lead to terrible trouble” ~ Lemony Snicket

PS - Following on from my post yesterday, in case anyone was wondering, the boss and his wife had a healthy baby boy who arrived at 7.22pm last night. All doing well, boss is exhausted.