Life Tip: Challenge Your Assumptions
Are your windows on the world clear or clouded? Now, unless you are enlightened, they are probably clouded. Your windows are clouded because of your preconceived judgments. You develop judgments or frames of assumptions as a result of past experiences, conditionings and beliefs. Events in the past may be neutral but it is the meaning that you ascribe to them that determines your judgments or frames of assumptions.
“A peach is not its fuzz. A toad is not its warts. A person is not his or her crankiness. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off once in a while or the light won’t come in.”
– Alan Ada
Perceptual Filtering of the Mind
The mind receives information through your five senses. However, in order to cope and make sense of the massive amount of data coming in, various parts of the information becomes sorted, deleted and generalized. According to one estimate, incoming sensory information is reduced from 2,000,000 to 34 bits per second.
The filtered content forms your perceptions. As the first Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) presupposition calls it, it is your map of the world. You respond to the world by virtue of how you perceive things. More often than not, you respond by an immediate reaction as a result of the map you have created.
Your assumptions can prevent light from coming in. Problems are created when you believe that your map of the world is the only true reality. You cling on to it tightly, unable to see that there can be more than one way of perceiving things. Conflicts invariably arise when two parties stubbornly hold on to their maps of the world.
Challenging My Assumptions
Learning about the first NLP presupposition has been a life-changing one. It has enabled me to challenge my assumptions, beliefs and expectations. There has been tremendous benefits.
I become less critical in my inner commentary of the people and world around. Before making hasty judgments, I consider the possibility of not fully knowing the background of the other party. Compassion is also easier to access even when reasons behind an irrational behavior are not immediately clear to me.
What is perhaps empowering to realize is that I have the power to change the writings on my map. By changing it from “money is evil” to “money is a good friend” or from “the world is a landmine” to “the world is a friendly place”, I can start to attract a more positive reality for myself.
How to Challenge Your Assumptions
1. Understand that map is not the territory. NLP paves the way to transformation with its presupposition that “the map is not the territory”. In the first place, if you can understand that your mind filters information, then you will know that it is possible that your map may not be the entire truth. While the map can serve as a useful guide, you may have made the mistake of assuming that it accurately and completely represents the entire territory.
2. Take a step back to examine assumptions. You avoid jumping too quickly to conclusions by simply basing them on outward appearances. “A peach is not its fuzz. A toad is not its warts. A person is not his or her crankiness.” In other words, there can be much more than to things than meets the eye.
3. Understand that everyone’s map is just as valid. Since everyone experiences reality differently, then our maps can differ. So your map can be as right or wrong as another person. What helps in ending strife is to be able to see the other person’s perspective of the world using his or her map.
4. Consider upgrading maps. If your map has limiting beliefs, you may want to work on upgrading it to a more empowering one. You let go of parts that are no longer serving you. You learn to view the glass as half-full instead of half-empty. In time, your map of the world becomes a more expansive, loving and joyous.
Do Regular Housekeeping
It is dangerous to operate through clouded windows. Just imagine driving on a road. You may run into problems with the lack of clarity.
In plain terms, this means that you are unable to see reality as-it-is. Each new moment is a moment mired in your past. You sacrifice the building of genuine trust, love and support; when you refuse to let go of your assumptions. You sacrifice the essence of what you dearly wish for but can’t obtain because you refuse to do housekeeping work.
Alan Ada suggests that you “scrub them off once in a while or the light won’t come in.” By this, he means cleaning the lens – your windows – so that light can stream into the shadowed areas. You perform housekeeping duties regularly. Just like ordinary windows, the ones in your inner world need to be wiped, scrubbed and polished every now and then – for long-lasting shine 🙂
Share Your Thoughts and Assumptions
Do share your thoughts or if you have a tip on challenging pre-conceived and limiting assumptions in the comments below.
Abundance Always,
Author. Adventurer. Life Artist. More About Me.
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Evelyn Reply:
June 22nd, 2011 at 12:20 am
Thank you, Rob. I enjoyed your feedback too about refusing the comfort of our usual assumptions. Indeed, it takes courage to be in the space of discomfort while we challenge our perceptions. But this is when growth happens.
With love and light,
Evelyn
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