Without assumptions, we’d find it very difficult to navigate daily life. We assume that the company we work for will continue to exist or at least that the specific industry as a whole will still be around for years to come.
But companies go out of business or get acquired and the past couple of decades have proven that technological disruption can upend entire sectors. It would be difficult or impossible to live life thinking constantly in these terms. So, we tend to make assumptions.
That’s the positive aspect of assumptions. They hold together our understanding of reality. The negative aspect is that, when we fail to question them, we may limit our personal effectiveness by being blind to alternative courses of action.
An Exercise to Identify Your Own Assumptions and Help You to Let Them Go
Finding the mental space to explore your own assumptions takes a little practice, but it’s very rewarding. This exercise is designed to provide you with a gateway to do that in a few minutes. The more you do it, the more it will become a habit and the more easily you will be able to access this state of mind whenever you wish to.
1) Sit in a relaxed but upright position.
2) Bring your awareness to the sensation of your breathing.
3) Rest your mind gently and smoothly on that feeling.
4) Explicitly identify your existing story about the person or situation you are working on. Allow yourself to mindfully follow that story for a while without getting caught up in it.
5) Ask yourself, “What am I assuming is true about me and about this situation? What do I think is real?”
6) Ask yourself, “Is this always true? Am I certain? Have I, or other people, done this differently in the past?”
7) Ask yourself, “What do I think is not changeable? What is my goal?”
8) Ask yourself, “What would it feel like to see this differently?” (Try to actually feel this sensation in your body.)
9) Carry that feeling of mental flexibility with you as you engage with the situation at hand.
When you become aware of the possibility of questioning your assumptions, it will become increasingly easy to do. Soon, you may find yourself looking with new eyes at situations you had previously taken for granted.