Look At Facts

I hate assumptions. And yet, I assume things all the time. When someone doesn’t answer my email, I assume they don’t care. When someone apologizes, I assume it’s not genuine. When I have a headache, I assume I’m ill. I know I’m not practical because assumptions are not facts.

If you want to think straight, you discard all assumptions, and only look at facts. William James said it best in one of his lectures about pragmatism “The pragmatist clings to facts and concreteness, observes truth at its work in particular cases, and generalizes.”

To make things simple, let’s look at two ways of making a decision. One based on facts, and the other based on assumptions;

Does your product solve a problem Or do you assume it does Are you able to raise money for your start-up Or do you assume your boss will give it to you?

Is the sale a done deal Or do you assume your client will signup?

Do people like your art Or do you assume they do?

I like to avoid assumptions as much as I can. I prefer to look at facts and then draw conclusions. What if you can’t rely on facts Well, sometimes you just can’t find facts, or you have to make a quick decision.

In those (very rare) cases I prefer gut feeling. Whatever you do, never waste your thoughts on other people’s ill-informed opinions and guesses.