Assumptions

I remember when I was in elementary school and my first band instructor wrote the word ASSUME on the board and then said when you assume you make an ass out of you and me....get it? This has stuck in my head ever since then.

Why am I writing about assumptions? Because lately I have been thinking about the assumptions so many people make. Rather it be regarding me, others, or assumptions about things in general. I recently was in a meeting and as people talked and voiced their opinions I could not help but think about the assumptions people made when trying to defend their statements. I left that meeting really thinking about what assumptions do to people and how the can be very bad.

Here are some of the common assumptions that people have about me.....

1. nice
2. mean
3. straight
4. gay
5. nerd
6. anti-social
7. naive
8. innocent

I could keep going......but I won't. The ones I have listed are the ones that irritate me the most.  People make these assumptions before they even take the time to get to know me and seem shocked when I turn out the way that they assumed.  

I think the world would be a better place if assumptions were not made and if you want to know something or find out about something just ask. How hard is that????

Gossiping...Lesson Learned

Learned, or observed a valuable lesson over the past week. Gossiping rather spreading or listening is not cool. While I was in college I was not a gossiper, but I know everything. I would sit and listen to tons of information and would not spread it, but if asked I knew the answer. I was at one time given the nickname "Da 411." Glad those days are over...so I thought.

This past weekend I mentioned some information to a friend in casual conversation and watched it spread before my eyes into gossip, did not make me feel good at all and it was never my intention. If I had of thought about what I was saying before I said it, it would have never come out. The information was not hurtful, but it was not my place to release the information....Lesson Learned!!!

This week at work another scenario happened and I felt I was placed in an awkward position. I was not the spreader of gossip, but I listened. The fact that is was in the work place also made it weird. The awkward position I was put in still is irritating me....Did I necessarily do anything wrong no, but the actions of a gossiper affected me and not happy about it. This time I was on the outside looking in of how gossip affects people and how they spread so quickly. Just because you hear something does not mean it is true...Lesson Learned!!!

I guess the moral of this story is that gossiping is not cool and if you are passive about it is not helping the situation. I am good justifying or rationalizing almost anything I do, I can really come up with ways to justify or explain gossiping, but in the end...it is still not cool.