Reverse Mind-Reading in Relationships

In working with couples and individuals, I often find a common pitfall in a relationship is the process I call 'reverse mind-reading'.

Now I don't mean the 'mind-reading' we do when we think we know what the other is thinking. That is a challenge as well but I feel reverse mind-reading can actually be an even greater challenge.

Reverse mind-reading occurs when we expect the other person to know what we want or need and then get upset when they don't respond in the way we want.

This is something nearly everyone does to some degree.  We all go through conversations in our head and/or have times we get frustrated with someone for not behaving in the way we want them to.

What if we just asked for what we wanted, how would that change things?  What if, rather than assuming someone gets what we are thinking and needing, we told them? 

Well, there are a lot of reasons why we don't.  Honestly, while at times it can be very helpful, I'm not always of the belief we need to understand why we don't do something.  Sometimes, we just need to do something else and see what happens.

For the new year, how about if we set the intention of asking for what we need and want in clear, non-judgmental ways.  We may not always get what we ask for, but at least we can then decide what we want to do with that information, rather than getting stuck in waiting for something to happen and thinking it is out of our control.

For those of you interested, don't miss the free teleclass on non-judgment the end of the month!  (see the calendar)

Blessings and Namaste,

Jenifer