what can you tell from this picture?

that was the question posed to my auditing class regarding a very similar photo- two dogs on a slate walkway, one perched next to the other.  at first, the answer seems easy.  in this case, there is a brown dog with a green leash sitting on the sidewalk, meaning the animal is likely domesticated.  there is sunlight, so it was probably daytime at the time the photo was taken...the list goes on.  but can you really be sure?  

  the correct answer to the question at hand, it seems, is nothing.  the point of the exercise was to instill in us the importance of never making assumptions.  who's to say that the photograph you're looking at isn't merely a picture of a picture? who says it's actually a dog at all?  

the whole assignment got me thinking, though.  while i understand the importance of not just taking things at face value, especially in the business world, i have to admit that i find the whole concept unappealing.  so much of life is instinct.  if we were all to go about our days only relying on what we knew for sure, would we ever really learn anything new?  the most memorable experiences of my life are those which i jumped into, with my gut directing me and my brain on standby, ready to salvage my remaining dignity if need be.  i find nothing more stifling than basing my every day on knowledge, rules, and norms alone, and i doubt i'm in the minority with that stance.  life is not a business.  you can't make happiness the same way you make money, you can't put situations under a microscope, invest in a little r&d, and deduce the best course of action. 

 so while i can respect my professor's attempt to teach us a vital principle of the auditing profession, i find it necessary to argue that, by relating this principle to an everyday scenario, the lesson itself is lost.  

and so here it is, my little bit of wisdom for the day:

don't live your life as if successes and failures are defined by a set of rules.

don't make choices simply because facts and figures tell you to.

don't ignore your instincts simply because they speak softer than a higher power. 

so there you have it. now, if i could only start remembering it all myself...