Every day, you act on assumptions. Making assumptions is a part of doing business.

They can serve you or keep you from growing your business. It’s always a good idea to check them.

One way I check assumptions is by expanding my mindset. I do that in a variety of ways and one way is being part of a book study.

The book we’re working through is, The Power to Transform, by Chris Majer with John Brant. In part of the book, you’re guided through a positive assessment that was made about you and examine that particular assessment through various questions, like what is the assessment, how long has it been with you, what emotions does it invoke, who delivered the assessment to you, and what possibility does it open and close, to name a few.

Years ago, I was given a positive assessment that I’m savvy. Now, I figured that I should have considered it a positive, but I didn’t see myself as savvy.

I made a whole bunch of assumptions about what savvy meant, so there was a disconnect in my brain. The emotion it invoked was not really positive for me.

Through the book study, I realized that I made an assumption about what the word savvy meant. Then, I looked up the word.

The first definition I ran across said, “a shrewdness and practical knowledge, especially in politics or business.” I wasn’t immediately keen on the word, shrewd either. Again, I thought it was a negative connotation.

Then, I checked my assumption about the word shrewd. According to several online resources, it’s having or showing sharp powers of judgment or astute.

Interesting. For years, I had negative beliefs around these words. Checking my assumptions about an assessment someone gave about me years ago opened up a whole new realm of freedom around that word and around the assessment.

By having a whole new freedom around it, opens up new actions. My lens for new possibilities just became clearer.

What assumptions are you making, that, if explored, might open up new possibilities?