I don’t waste my time trying to determine someone else’s motivations, beliefs or intentions. My speculations about what is going on inside someone else’s head are completely irrelevant. Unless we have a close relationship or the matter is trivial, I usually won’t ask them either.
What is more revealing is their actions.
I don’t need to get inside someone else’s head to see these.
When someone tells me they love me, I usually think, not really.
When someone calls themself my friend, I think – I have had many acquaintances throughout my life and a handful of true friends.
Even with the ebbs and flows of friendship, true friends always reveal themselves with their actions.
This is something I apply to every relationship.
- Dating
- Family
- Coworkers
- Teammates
- Friends/Enemies/Competitors/Partners
- Mentors
- Parents
- Children
- Government (& politicians)
- Influencers
I don’t need to ponder what someone else is thinking. Most likely they aren’t thinking about me at all.
As for you, it’s probably the same.
*I heard Mel Robbin’s say this on a podcast recently.