Assumptions are accepted as true or as certain to happen without proof. Personal wellness can be significantly impacted by assumptions we make. Our wellness is enhanced if we can live more frequently in an Assumption-Free Zone.
Let’s revisit the assumption I made in last week’s Wellness Wednesday.
My Desire: While spending the night at a motel, I wanted to watch my favorite baseball team on TV.
My Invitation: The channel for the game was not listed on the motel’s TV Channel Guide.
My Assumption: I was not going to be able to watch the game.
My Options: Be upset, complain to the motel manager or check in to a different motel.
When assumptions are unexamined, they can close our mind to possibilities.
They can keep us stuck in a mindset that prevents us from experiencing meaningful and beneficial results even when those desired results are available.
We have the Power of Choice. We can take five steps to examine our assumptions and create an Assumption-Free Zone:
- Notice: Be aware of when we are making an assumption, “I am assuming that I can’t get my game on TV.”
- Doubt: “Maybe my assumption is not correct.”
- Question: “What can I do to get more information about this?”
- Recognize: Be aware of other options, “I can check the channels that aren’t listed on the channel guide. I can call the front desk and see what might be available.”
- Respond: Click through the unlisted channels. By doing so I will discover that my game is on TV or that it’s not on TV, but I will no longer be making an assumption. One way or the other, it will be a fact. I am now making a choice based on reality and not an assumption.
The basic strategy for creating an Assumption Free Zone
is to lead with curiosity, not judgment.
We may frequently challenge the assumptions of others, but our wellness requires that we challenge our own. Identify an assumption that you have made and apply the five steps of creating an Assumption Free Zone.
From our team…Kevin Brennan, Willow Sweeney, and Tom Cody…who help each other investigate our assumptions.
Paul Bernabei
Director
Top 20 Training
paul@top20training.com
