While it may seem rather early to be thinking about it, this time of year is when we start to look ahead to the forthcoming Hayfever season. And, yes, we appreciate that those affected probably do not want to be reminded about what may be just around the corner (!). However, there’s a very good reason for this and one we’d like to talk about today. 

 

From our perspective, there are two very different issues to be dealt with when looking at any issue and Hayfever illustrates this very well. 

Have you noticed how often the words “they say” crops up in conversations? Usually when someone is repeating ad hoc something they’ve heard on the news or from someone else around them. And, when they’re asked for more details, they never seem to be able to give any… 

 

So the question is, who is this mysterious “they” and what are they saying??? 

We’re sure, like us, when you were a child you enjoyed gently teasing – or, more accurately, winding up (!) – older members of your family with seemingly innocuous statements or questions that were far from easy to answer. While the “why” question is probably the perennial favourite – and always completely exasperating on the receiving end (!) – we’re sure there were plenty of others in your family. And, we’ll pause for a moment so you can remember some of your favourites, as well as some of those you’ve been on the receiving end of… 

 

One of the favourites in our families involved grey hair or, more accurately, pointing out that someone was starting to go grey. Perhaps offering to pull out or dye the offending hairs… Depending on the family member involved, the response was guaranteed to go along one of the following lines. Outright denial, by far the most popular. Quickly followed by the logic that their parents / grandparents went grey at a similar age and so they were going to too. Or, finally, to blame whichever younger member of the family had made the remark for the stress they caused which, in turn, led to their hair going grey. As so often is the case, there is some truth in all these replies, even the outright denial. Yes, really! 

A couple of weeks’ ago we talked about the pitfalls of making assumptions – whether we’re aware of it at the time or not (!) – and how they can, all too easily, make an ASS out of U and ME. And, we’ve all had experience of that more times than we’d care to admit too… If you missed the post, you can find it here. 

 

As so often is the case, this post has prompted some interesting conversations with Clients and got us thinking about how one very simple – and general – assumption could be your friend. So, we thought we’d share it with you this week.