If you are old like me…you ight remember a baseball coach lecturing his team at the start of the movie “The Bad News Bears” (not the remake)…wherein he wrote the word “ASSUME” on the board…exhorting his team to never assume…for if they did, they would make “an ASS out of U and ME”.
Since that time, I have heard many people use a similar philosophy…referring to how dangerous assumptions can be. No doubt, there are instances where caution is wise…but not in every instance. Let me suggest that, in the context of team and partnership, it may be more beneficial to assume. To assumethe positive.
When we start out assuming the negative of a person or situation, we in effect put barriers up (if only in our mind) that must later be overcome. Our assumption of ill-will being work out against us leads us in the direction of conspiracy, wherein we become plagued by negativity and paranoia.
However, if we start out assuming the best, we leave ourselves in a healthy posture, and barrier free. If we assume the best when we don’t understand, we are more likely to be in balance and therefore have the capacity to explore the issue and gain understanding…without generating unnecessary conflict and collateral damage to others…and to our self.
This is an issue of the mind, and more often than not arises from insecurities within us. As such, we can choose to change our perspective. A simple reminder to “assume the positive” can help us hold steady in the midst of uncertainty…and provide a buffer, so that we are able to respond instead of reacting instantly as per our developed habit.
