Have you ever eves-dropped?

Sometimes you can’t help yourself, like when you’re on a train and the man in front of you is speaking very loudly into his cell phone…

Honest, Brie, I’m not psychic, I can’t read your mind. So if there’s something you want me to do, you just need to tell me. Please.

He was pleading with the woman on the other end. It made me smile because I used to do that – I used to expect my husband to read my mind.

It never ended well because, well, he can’t.

When he finally caught on – as the man on the train clearly has – life got easier. At some point my husband got smart enough – and bold enough – to not fall for it anymore. (Yay, team!)

Even when I still expected him to read my mind, he was wise and, like the man on the train, pointed out that being psychic was not once of his strengths.

My husband had to point it out a few times before I caught on and learned to just speak up and tell him what I wanted. Truly, so much easier!

(Confidential to the women reading this: I know some of you use this as a test…”if he really loved me, he would know what I want/need without me having to tell him.” 

You might even take it further by saying “if he only does it when I ask, then it doesn’t really count. It doesn’t mean as much.” Sound familiar?)

When you know what you want – and that is often the hardest part, you owe it to yourself to ask for it. Say it out loud.

Leave the mind-reading to the professionals.

Instead, rely on good old-fashioned communication skills.