I used to really struggle with passing judgment and making assumptions. I always thought I knew exactly what things meant and exactly how things should be done and exactly how people should act. If someone did something outside of what I expected they should do, I KNEW that they were trying to be disrespectful or doing it intentionally or whatever.
But then I learned to ask a question that started to really change my life - I began to ask - "What else could this mean?"
Here's a great story...
Brian Tracy was riding the subway in NY one day in the morning. The subway was quiet with people on their way to work.
All of a sudden at one of the stops, the doors open up and a man walks in with his 3 kids. The kids procede to start running around making all kinds of news and really bothering all of the other people on the train.
Through all of this, the father did nothing about it. He just sat there with his head down. Brian Tracy couldn't believe the father wasn't doing anything about it. He thought, how irresponsible and uncaring this man is being?
Finally, Brian Tracy had enough and said to the man, "Sir, don't you think you should do something about your children?"
The man looked up, sighed, and said "I guess you're right. It's just that we came from the hospital and their mom just died, and I really don't know how to handle everything."
How quickly Brian Tracy's judgment and opinion of what was happening changed!
You may think you know what someone is thinking and why they are doing something, and you MAY be right, but you'll never KNOW for sure.
Always ask - "What else could this mean?"