Dare to challenge one of your long-held assumptions!

I read an article a while back about how as we grow older our tastes – in music, food, clothes, art – become more entrenched. In other words, if you’ve always ordered eggplant parmigiana at an Italian restaurant, chances that you’ll order something different in your 50s are low. Another thing that I think becomes entrenched is our opinions and assumptions, both about ourselves and the world around us. I’m not close to being 50, but I can already see that there are certain things I believe to be true without allowing for the possibility that they might not be.

So this week, I dare you to challenge one of your long-held assumptions! All of us make some assumptions about ourselves and the world around us and they become part of our lives often without us consciously recognizing it. Do you avoid big parties because you assume that you’ll be uncomfortable being with so many people? Do you stick to your job because you assume you’re not cut out to do something different? Do you avoid making friends with certain kinds of people because you assume that you won’t get along with them?

Think about what assumptions you’ve made part of your life and consider whether there is one that you can challenge this week. Why is it that you believe that you’re not cut out for a different job? Have you tried many different things? If you tried something different and it didn’t work out, does it necessarily mean that that entire field is out of the question, or perhaps it was just that particular experience that didn’t work?

Challenging long-held assumptions, especially those you’ve made about yourself, is one of the toughest things to do. In a way, they make your life more comfortable because they limit the number of different things you need to try out and experience – if you assume you’re terrible in social settings, then you don’t have to go to parties, do you? But your assumptions might also be limiting you and preventing you from experiencing things that might add another dimension to your life, or make you happier or more fulfilled. And that’s a great reason to challenge one of them this week!

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