Optimum Health Institute Blog - How to Let Go of Assumptions

Back in the early 50’s, a young artist who loved trains and spending time with his family dreamed up a dramatic and out-of-the-box way to combine these two passions. He imagined getting a big piece of land, building a railroad track all the way around it, and creating a variety of exciting activities in the middle to delight kids of all ages.

One by one, family, friends, colleagues and investors tried to talk him out of it. No one would want to come to it; no one’s ever done anything like that before; it would be way too expensive, and it just wouldn’t work. Despite all the logical reasons people assumed it would be impossible, 33 investors eventually threw their support behind the crazy idea, and Disneyland opened to the public July 17, 1955. The rest is history.

An “assumption” is merely an idea that is accepted as true – but there’s no proof of its validity. Throughout history, assumptions have imposed limitations, and served as stumbling blocks to growth. If people disagreed with the medieval Catholic Church’s assumption, ‘the sun revolves around the Earth,’ they could pay with their lives. Other assumptions, like ‘the world is flat,’ ‘people can’t fly,’ ‘alternating electrical current kills’ or ‘women aren’t as smart as men’ were also eventually proven false, and the world changed for the better.

The really tricky thing about most assumptions is, we probably won’t even realize they ARE assumptions until after they’ve been disproven. Usually an assumption is so ingrained into our consciousness that we never think to question it. To start discovering hidden assumptions that might be limiting you, think of something that frustrates you. That emotional response is an alert that something is out of balance. Stop assuming there’s no way to fix it and start to bring more balance into your life with these exercises:

• Pray and Meditate. Prayer is asking for guidance; meditation is listening for answers. Mindfully focus on an area of your life that bothers you, and ask for divine guidance on how to bring balance to the situation.

• Dreams are full of valuable information. Paul McCartney heard the haunting melody for “Yesterday” in a dream. The sewing machine; the Nobel-winning discovery of the chemical transmission of nerve impulses; the idea that launched the first American woman multi-millionaire; Frankenstein, even Jack Nicholas’ winning golf swing – all first appeared in dreams. Keep a journal by your bed to jot down information that comes to you in your sleep.

• Try “flow journaling.” This is the practice of entering into an Alpha state of heightened awareness to find your answer. Think of something you’d like to do, but you’ve always just assumed you couldn’t. Write a statement that leads you into the “how to” of accomplishing it, for instance: “The best way for me to become a sculptor is…” Now set a timer for 10 minutes. Take a few deep breaths to put yourself into Alpha, start the timer, then write for ten minutes straight, no stopping. At first your statements may be vague, like, “I have no idea where to begin.” As you continue writing, though, breathing deeply to stay in Alpha, you’ll start to tap into your higher consciousness, and get direction.

• Bounce your ideas off of others. Every reason they give you that your idea couldn’t possibly work helps you focus on very specific solutions. By tearing an idea apart, they can actually guide you into thinking how to make each aspect of your project a viable reality.

Never assume that bringing your body, mind and spirit into a healthy balance isn’t possible. Experience positive, powerful and lasting changes when you embark on a life-affirming visit to the Optimum Health Institute in San Diego or Austin, Texas. Our caring team can help you achieve your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual goals for optimal health. Visit our website at www.optimumhealth.org , and call us at (800) 993-4325 to make your reservation.