How can I stop making assumptions?

I love this question. Assumptions arise from the ego - that part in us that tries so very hard to protect us from ourselves and the outside world. We assume things in an attempt to outsmart a situation or person to keep us from getting hurt. The thing about assumptions is this: the world is only happening through a series of PERCEPTIONS. We never see the world as it truly is, we can only see it through the lens of our own eyes/hearts/minds. The next time you find yourself making an assumption, try to remind yourself that you are seeing the world through your own perception. Try to take yourself out of the situation and see it objectively. See it as if you are watching a play. This takes out the emotion, it takes out the thoughts that come with it, and lets you see what is happening through your perception without being tied to it.

When it comes down to it, assumptions are caused by a lack of communication. It can be difficult to gather the courage to ask questions but if you practice at it, you'll surely notice it becomes easier. The best thing you can do is practice talking with people and asking them questions. If you can't do that, try your best to let go of whatever assumptions you've developed. Just acknowledge them, then understand that you can't possibly know for sure, and forget about it. Don't let it trouble you until it comes up again, and then do your best to politely ask questions or think critically about why exactly you developed a particular assumption in the first place. I highly suggest reading The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6596.The_Four_Agreements

Be in the moment. Listen to what the person is saying. Look around at what is happening. Describe what it is that you are hearing and seeing. If you take things as they are you will learn over time to stop assuming because you are living in the present.

fear of losing control leads you to this situation. lean back and learn to observe the life flow around you like watching a stream in an aquarium window underneath a river. sometimes we need to stop and look around in life to understand the larger picture.

I stopped by learning to think before speaking. Often my rush to talk got the best of me or my own personal insecurities took over when all I ever needed to do was think.

My best tip is to be mindful of your own thoughts. "Catch" yourself, and recognize when you might be jumping to conclusions about something. Instead of voicing that assumption you might instead ask the person what they're thinking about the situation at hand. "How are you dealing with this? Are you feeling stressed, or maybe sad? What do you feel like is happening here?" These are all wonderful open ended questions that can get the person talking from their point of view, which might open up a side of things you hadn't thought of before!

By understanding that making assumptions is normal and part of our brains tendency to fill out incomplete information. However, we also need to exercise a choice not to believe everything that is assumed immidately. Over time, the assumptions reduce. It's all about the story we want to believe when we don't have enough info.

Try putting yourselves in their shoes. Understand what they're going through and look at it from every angle, there's almost certainly a reason why they're doing it.

I can stop making assumptions by remembering that each person is different and they all handle things differently.

Try to ask yourself "Am i jumping to conclusions,Realize that not everyone thinks the same as you do because we are all individuals