Presumption and assumption
What do you think of when you hear expectation management?
There are two distinct words that come to mind; presumption and assumption.
- Presumption is the acceptance of something as true although it is not known for certain.
- Assumption is a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof.
One (presumption) works off of a belief with enough data to support it, although the outcome is unknown, and the other (assumption) works off of a belief with no evidence. In both cases, we find ourselves guessing on what is happening or has happened. Both lend themselves towards expectations with little or no substance.
Years ago, a colleague of mine shared a useful way to look at the word fear; one of many emotions we experience when we don’t know what’s happening and we find ourselves presuming and assuming. Think of fear as false evidence appearing real.
Consider
Next time you find yourself presuming, assuming and/or pressured with expectations maybe it’s false evidence appearing real.
Additional insights
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