Robert Ringer wrote, “Now, here's the sticky part. The reality is that most of your life is based on information and assumptions you have never verified. For you control freaks out there, you may find that hard to accept. ... I'm much more rigid than most people when it comes to taking everything with a proverbial grain of salt. My motto is: Assume nothing. If your mother says she loves you, check it out! Even so, on occasion I still find myself assuming things that I have no sound reason for assuming.”

I have been working and writing diligently on my new e-book, How to Leave Your Audiences Begging for MORE!, and in several sections have repeated the phrase, “Never assume. Always confirm.” In this book that will help you to become an “Outrageously Powerful Presenter,” I am referring to all of the different details that accompany speaking.

But, after reading Ringer’s article, I suddenly realized that I have many assumptions on which I base my life, my actions and interactions, my goals and my beliefs. Some of these are time tested, but others aren’t at all - and horror of horrors, may be completely false.

So I am curious to know what others’ assumptions are, how you test your assumptions and how valuable testing and questioning may be.

I usually assume that the majority of people are honest. This caused me grief when I was recently taken in by a con artist. I am surprised daily by the number of hackers and other schemers on the Internet, along with the fraud that seems to abound in corporate America.

And, yet on the other hand, as Ringer also mentioned, I have come to believe and trust in many of the mentors and gurus on the Internet, along with some fabulous authors. When I made the decision to cut back on the number of e-newsletters that I was receiving - I tended to read them all - I had to ask myself which ones were worthwhile enough for me to make an investment (of time and/or money). Which ones did I trust the most?

I think and feel that this takes time, because we tend to assume that the written word is true and holds weight. I like to make the assumption that someone is knowledgeable and telling the truth. Now, however, I take my time before believing everything I read. How about you? Do you jump right into buying all of the products that promise you success and fame? It is easy to do.

How fitting that Orville Wright wrote, “If we all worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true is really true, there would be little hope of advance.”

Lot’s to think about. How about you? Have you checked your assumptions lately?

Chris King is an entrepreneur, professional speaker, storyteller, writer, website creator / designer, free agent, and fitness instructor. Sign up for her eclectic E-newsletter, Portfolio Potpourri, at http://www.freelanceliving.com You will find her information-packed E-book How to Leave Your Audiences Begging for MORE! at http://www.OutrageouslyPowerfulPresenter.com and her business website at http://www.CreativeKeys.biz