Trust yet verify

It is very easy to have the wrong idea. It is easy to make bad decisions, especially if there is a lot of emotion involved. 

I've made it a rule (but it is hard to really quantify) that if I have to make a more than 2nd level jump in intuition, I want external verification. Basically, it's dangerous to make an assumption based on an assumption. That sounds obvious on the face of it, but we do it all the time! Let's say a brand makes something you really like and it is good quality. I assume that other products or services by that brand will be good , and you will assume that the thing will arrive in good working order. You may argue that something arriving in good working order is not really an assumption if we know that it may not. The assumption is that this thing will happen within a probability range we are comfortable with. As an example, try and imagine a 5 year plan, or even what your life is going to look like in a year.

This requires a really solid understanding of your current state. What do my finances look like? (That's easy, unstable) What are my true weaknesses? Addictions, desires, I can't think of the term, but the tendency to explode like a toddler or small child. It's action without thought (as described), (new items now) our compulsions. ability to communicate, physical abilities. So many other things. The reason you need to know your base self, is that any future planning already assumes you can do it. 

To know yourself, to know myself, we need to accept the things that we've done, and the needs that we have. You don't have to share it outside if it isn't comfortable, yet we need to be honest with ourselves and at the very least acknowledge those failings, super powers, and everything in between.

All next steps are another assumption.