photo by Bludgeoner86
When adolescence struck me with my first pimple, I quickly discovered the wonders of the face wash aisle at the local drugstore. Once that bottle of face wash became a staple on my bathroom shelf, I never looked back. I diligently washed my face each night and morning with the sleekest new product, because of course my pimples would return if I didn’t.
Stop. Rewind.
Of course?
Last year, I started washing my face with a regular bar of soap a few days a week, when my face wash wasn’t at hand. Some mornings, even (gasp!) a simple splash of water. A few days a week gradually became every day, and I woke up one morning and realized I did not have pimples. I had abandoned the bottles of facewash, yet my skin was smooth as ever.
I had spent nearly 10 years assuming that I needed face wash to keep my skin bright and clear, all because I did need it for a little while.
We assume all sorts of things.
Some people assume that you’ve either got talent, or you don’t.
Some people assume that they can’t get something, so they don’t bother asking.
Some people assume that no college degree means no smarts. (For the record, Quentin Tarantino and Bill Gates are two shining degree-less examples).
I could keep going with this list, but I’d rather hear from you.
What assumptions have you made?
Have you ever stopped to question them?
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{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m with ya soul sister. I had the WORST acne in high school, and used to buy uber expensive face soap because I was in constant fear of the pizza returning to red sauce my face. I ditched the soap when it became a burden on my wallet and my skin looks exactly the same. I make assumptions all over the place, but less and less the older I get. Oh, and I don’t have a college degree either. Never wanted one.
Writer Dad´s last blog post..Bahma!
Reading this post I remembered the book “Silence of the lambs” by Thomas Harris, there’s an interesting dialog where Jack Crawford explains Clarice Starling where assuming might lead them by breaking the word into “Ass u me”.
Nuno Marques´s last blog post..[0076].Black Saturday
I assumed that if you build it, they will come.
Forgot to send out the invitations though.
Doh!
Matthew Dryden´s last blog post..We Looked Pretty Scattered
I used to assume I would be a horrible parent, as I had a poor role model. That lead me to not want kids…. well naturally I was blessed with two, and I have broken the cycle. I am the kind of parent I wish I had. As mentioned by Nuno, I often think of how assume breaks down…
Have you heard of the phrase? My friend taught it to me. It says assumption makes an ASS out of U and ME. See it? I thought that was pretty brilliant and something to keep in mind.
Anyway, I got my share of nasty experience with facial foams. I read the instructions wrong and washed my face three times instead with a whitening product. As a result, my face become sensitive towards sunlight and some frequent scrubs now caused my T-Zone to be acne prone, which is so annoying.
When I saw my other teenage friend who was too poor to buy a facial product have such beautiful skin, only washing her face with water, I just realized how stupid I’ve been. Now, my skin in already ruined.
is, sorry…
writersresort´s last blog post..February Wrap-Up
Argh, acne, I feel your pain.. I went as far as to go to a dermatologist and get prescriptions to a kind of steroid that killed any chance of my skin producing excess oil, so now instead of tanning, I burn (which my middle eastern heritage screams out at). No pimples for 5+ years though, whoo!
As for assumptions, I assume the best in everything.. Which is often dangerous, rather than optimistic..
Best example is that I assume my skills in various creative passions I have will stick around even if I don’t practice.. dangerous.
Interesting how personal experiences (the bad kind) can shape the way one goes about making assumptions of awfulness. And assumptions of the pettier things. which is either optimisim or numbness — either way, I’m zit free!
Alex Charchar´s last blog post..Links: Ceramic Letters & Flowers
I assume I always make an ass of myself, so I might as well be myself.
Sometimes people will assume that others live these perfect glamorous lives based on only a few facts.
It really doesn’t make sense. You can’t know the life of another based on only a couple facts, so why assume anything?
Assumptions are really silly. And I like your approach with how assumptions can be silly.
Bamboo Forest – PunIntended´s last blog post..Clowns are Downright Creepy
I’ve made so many assumptions over the years. They’ve all gotten me into trouble.
jenx67´s last blog post..My Mercy Walk: Gen X, Heroin, Chekov and Jesus
I try not to assume anything anymore. My theory is “Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.”
Loved your face washing example………..:)
LisaNewton´s last blog post..Texting and the Sand Box
@ Writer Dad – Good to know that you keep shedding assumptions… hope we’re all on that path!
@ Nuno – I almost brought the whole “assuming makes an ass out of u and me” into the headline of this piece, but I dropped it in the end
@ Matthew – HA! I hate when that happens.
@ Trina – Wow, that’s a lovely and powerful example of shedding assumptions…
@ writersresort – Yep, that phrase is a good one to remember…
@ Alex – That’s a really good point about the line between good optimism and dangerous optimism. I generally have a really positive outlook, so I completely agree that we have to make sure that doesn’t fall into laziness.
@ the funky duckling – Life would be boring if we didn’t just let loose a bit
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@ Bamboo – So true. It’s really easy to assume what you don’t have is better, or flawless, or easier. It’s crazy to see a few small details completely shape an image of someone.
@ Jenx67 – Yea, it’s harder to think of times when they’ve helped…
@ Lisa – That’s exactly my theory too! Serves me well so far
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I just wanted to tell you I have been washing my face with bar soap every other day and the rest of the week just hot water. My boyfriend always just uses hot water and has really clear skin. I am trying to cut out moisturizer too. So far it’s looking better!
Elyse´s last blog post..Spring Break – Part 2 (Not as smiley)
Kia ora Zoë
Assumptions are powerful beliefs.
Like any belief a person holds, an assumption can be deep rooted, like a carrot in the ground, and so can be difficult to shift. With time, an assumption, like the carrot, grows deeper.
Not all assumptions are erroneous, however, and like any belief, an assumption can be based on experience and deduction that may well be valid.
The point when an assumption is put in doubt by its owner is a turning point. While this may not mean change in what’s believed, arriving at that stage indicates a facile property of the mind of the owner.
The real key to using assumptions appropriately is in having routines for testing them – regularly. Your baloney detector kit should always be switched on when making a first assumption and it should be left on as long as possible while that assumption is under scrutiny.
Practicing scientists use this a priori. Failure to heed a signal from it simply permits the assumption to grow deeper. If it is growing in the wrong place, with time it becomes more and more difficult to uproot.
Invalid assumptions are best transplanted as early as possible.
Catchya later
from Middle-earth
Ken Allan´s last blog post..Posturing – a Barrier to Learning
@ Elyse – Yep, I think we need much less than we think…!
@ Ken – Very true, that assumptions are not all bad or wrong. As you say, it’s very important to at least understand what assumptions we hold, because it means we are being more conscious. Assumptions are useful, of course, for us to function without needing to figure everything out every time we see it… but as all automatic things, they can’t always fit! Especially after long use…