Who isn’t familiar with the little ditty about A*S*S*U*M*E means making an ASS out of U and ME? Even more important than not looking like a fool because you’ve assumed something is understanding you cannot know what you don’t know. Your assumption or interpretation of a situation or another person is often incorrect.
“I can’t even imagine what his life is like,” was the comment someone made to me about a third person recently*. Contained in the tone and intention of the message was a judgment that a situation facing someone we both knew was the worst of the worst and this person must be suffering incredibly under the circumstances.
The reality is that the third person facing the worst of the worst is actually someone who recently shared with me how he is turning his life around. Though his external circumstances appear bleak to others, he informed me that hitting bottom motivated him to get real and get busy taking responsibility. He asked me for a bit of coaching to make sure he was setting reasonable but challenging goals that would move him forward.
- What price do you pay when you make assumptions?
- How does judging others drain your energy?
- What kind of depth is possible in relationships when you gossip instead of engage in real communication?
For some insights into working through judgment and doing self-checks on where you’re investing your energy, check out:
Transforming the Judge Into Observer
Then check into tomorrow when we get the REAL story about our third person and ways to authentically engage with those we care about.
*All the identifying factors have been altered to protect confidentiality.
