“It was so great to see you!” your colleague says. Does your colleague say that to everyone to be polite, or did they actually mean it?

“I love your shirt!” a waiter tells you. They just served you the bill. Are they flattering you in the hopes of earning a higher tip?

You describe a situation that bothers you to a therapist. You did what you needed to do, and you feel disappointed by the outcome. “That sounds like leadership to me,” they tell you. Are they just saying nice things because you pay them?

There will always be ambiguity in relationships and communication. 

One trick to being happier is when somebody says something nice to you, you can assume that they meant what they said. Don’t let your second guessing get the best of you. 

And when they’re being mean, you can assume it wasn’t about you.