What’s your best guess as to what will happen in the next moment or two?

Will you continue reading this blog post?

Will you step away and do something different?

I asked about your best guess because that’s what you’re doing all day long. You’re taking your best guess as to what will happen next. And it’s not just you. We’re all doing it.

What exactly is a guess?

Well, it’s a prediction based in many cases on imperfect information. Unless, of course, you’re a mathematician using concrete evidence to work on problems all day long. But the majority of us aren’t mathematicians, so we’re all operating on best guesses.

So, why am I asking about your predictions?

Because in your mind, your predictions become self-fulfilling prophecies – they become your reality.

Please re-read the previous sentence.

Your guesses, aka your predictions, very quickly become fossilized in your mind, and you believe them to be true. And then you navigate the world according to your best guesses.

Navigating the world based on your predictions is natural and easy, but it also primes you to behave according to what you think might happen versus what’s really happening. Or said more eloquently by Anais Nin, “You do not see the world as it is. You see it as you are.”

Now there’s nothing inherently wrong with seeing the world as you are except that it confines you to thinking and acting in a very limited manner. Constantly believing in and relying on your predictions of what will happen next might feel safe, but it minimizes creativity and opportunities for personal growth.

To be clear, I’m not suggesting that you stop relying on your model of how you see the world. Obviously, if you’re reading this, then whatever actions you’ve taken based on your best guesses has kept you alive, and hopefully well. All I’m recommending is that occasionally, you allow yourself to second guess your best guess. Change the way you think about what will happen next and watch how the world changes around you.

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it, please share it with one person you love.