Am I making a big mistake here?

[Matt Williams]

I usually play 4/8 live for the most part. When playing hands, I usually don't try to think along/guess what most of my opponants have(On the river is a different story). My thinking is, 90% of the time, they call with mediocre/bad hands. However, going against better players, I do try to think along with them. There have been so many times when I have tried to think what someone has and have been way off.
For example, I've seen players call 3 bets preflop with 2-5o and then call/check to the river because a 2 is on the board. The way I see it, it will drive me crazy trying to guess along. If I think I am ahead or have good odds, I bet/raise and if I am wrong, so be it. For the most part, I deal with calling stations and that is how I make most of my money.
I do realize that as I go up in limits, I will need to learn this skill. But should I practice it on bad players?