Assume the Best

Day 246

Affirmation:   If I must make an assumption, I will assume only the best.

 

All too often we voyage through our days making negative assumptions about people,  things, and circumstances without any basis in immediate fact.  Our inner dialog can sound like this-

• “That kid looks like he’s up to no good.  The way he’s wandering around the parking lot I think he’s looking for a car to break in to.”
• “He’s withdrawn today, not paying me attention and not being affectionate. I must have done something wrong.”
• “I always have problems at this store, today won’t be any different.”
• “That (crying) child is spoiled.”
• “She’s acting like a drug addict.”

Though most of our assumptions are based on some previous experience or knowledge, many are still incorrect.  Making negative assumptions may offer a sense of control in dealing with unknowns, but it also places our primary thought pattern in a negative vibration while unfairly judging others.   The reality is that sometimes we simply *do not know* why things appear as they do.  If we do feel the need to assess and assume, then it would be in everyone’s interest to assume the best.  Assuming the best gives others the benefit of the doubt while promoting our own positive energy patterns.

What if… The kid who looked like he was up to no good was actually an honor student who’d forgotten where he parked his car.

What if… The husband/boyfriend was withdrawn because his thoughts kept going to a new project he had going at work and you were not part of the equation at all.

What if… The visit to the store went off without a hitch.

What if… The child was crying, not because she was spoiled, but because she didn’t feel well.

And what if… The girl who acted like a drug addict was actually developmentally disabled.

If we’re going to make idle assumptions- and we all do and will- let’s at least try to keep them positive.  We may be wrong, but that’s okay.  At least our humanity has risen above the tendency to find fault and see the world thru the shadow of negativity.

(Note: This affirmation refers to those ordinary daily interactions we have with the world which are of no threat to our well-being or safety.  I am not  referring to extraordinary interactions which require us to rely on intuition or intellectual assessment for personal safety.)