Everyone’s out to get me. My employees are lazy. My boss is a moron. Traffic will be bad. The Universe hates me.
All of the above are assumptions. Assumptions are based on past experiences. These past experiences are legitimate experiences. Assumptions are USEFUL as they speed up our decision-making. That’s a good thing. They are not however HELPFUL as in most cases, they can be wrong.
We have a tool known as The Highway to Hell. It begins with objective data. A man walking. A woman sitting. Then we sort that data. We pick out the familiar. Step 3 is to make assumptions. I know why. I know what for. Then we make decisions. I like her. I don’t like him. This leads to actions. Sometimes good ones. Sometimes bad.
Managing assumptions is a key to better self-management. It means looking at things objectively. It means exploring previous experiences in a new light. Most of all, it means relying less on what’s in your head and more on what’s in front of you.
Manage those assumptions. Don’t let them manage you.