August Intention: Explore Assumptions
Earlier this month I ran our inaugural book salon where we created immunity x-rays from Kegan and Lahey's Immunity to Change. In exercise, you identify a big goal, explore what you're doing instead, dig deep to uncover the fear driving your behavior, rewrite that fear as your hidden anxiety management commitment, and then list all the assumptions supporting your hidden commitment. See the book salon session summary for more on the exercise and experiments for testing assumptions.
It's a tough exercise that reveals assumptions we might not even realize we have.
Continuing the journey, this month we're exploring assumptions!
August Challenge: Question Your Daily Assumptions
Join our August Challenge by noticing assumptions you make each day, then questioning whether they're actually true.
I'm writing this at the end of August 1st after barely sleeping due to a family member's ER visit. One of my assumptions? If I don't get enough sleep, bad things will happen. This thought certainly doesn't make falling asleep any easier. While today was more challenging and I'm exhausted, nothing horrible happened.
There were plenty of surprises, such as being interrupted at 9:15 am, mid-coaching session, by a repair team that needed to turn off our power to make an emergency replacement of the electrical line. I immediately noticed a number of assumptions:
We would have electricity all day (generally a safe bet, until it wasn't)
The power would be out for longer than the promised 20 minutes
Switching my client from video on my computer to audio on my cell would be disruptive
It would be challenging to reconnect to the internet afterward
My reality check: The power was only out for 18 minutes. The internet came back instantly. Switching to cell was seamless, and I had five minutes to spare before my next meeting. The whole experience was easier than expected, and I was able to approach it with levity, flexibility, and gratitude.
Ready to join the challenge? Use the tracking sheet below daily to record your assumptions and outcomes.
What assumptions are you ready to question this month?
