As one goes ahead in life, one realizes that most problems in the world arise due to misunderstandings. If only people could understand each other better, life would be simpler. When you fail to understand what the person in front of you wants, he can make life difficult for you. You wish that if only you could read minds, handling difficult people at work would be simple. You cannot learn these tricks in a day. It takes years of experience to understand 'people'. You need to have a keen eye to see tiny details of behavior patterns that people show. You need to study people like shrinks, without being intrusive like them. You must practice reading minds of people to such a degree, that you feel what the person is going through, just by looking at him. Very few can do that, as very few can really see people for what they are. Most of us take people around for granted and see them as we want them to be. To be an expert at reading minds, one has to have an unbiased eye, which can see people for exactly what they are. Don't judge before you can see them clearly. Tricks and Tips There is nothing exotic about reading minds. Some people are naturally good at understanding what the person in front of them wants. They get ahead in life, by taking advantage of people. There are few who realize that such an ability can be used to help people out. They become excellent shrinks. Though you and me may never be experts at reading minds, like these people, we can try our level best to master this skill. This may reduce a lot of unnecessary tension and friction that arises through our dealing with people. One thing that you need to understand is that you have to love people to understand them better. Here are some tricks which I have garnered through my own limited experience. The trick is to be genuinely interested in that person. It is all applied psychology. Look Into the Eyes The eyes are the windows of the soul, so they say. Whatever goes on, in the minds of people, always gets reflected in their eyes, even if the face may try to betray those emotions. At least momentarily, the emotions inside show themselves in a person's eyes. Learn to see and interpret them. Understand the Unsaid Many times, people say something, but in actuality they are trying to convey something else. This may seem cryptic to you, but you will understand it, if you try to think about it. Why don't people say what they want to say? There are many reasons why people leave things unsaid and say things which are sometimes completely opposite. Ego is one reason, fear is another, and most of the time, it's confusion about what they really want. So, hear the unsaid and the said. See it through the eyes and the body language. People do say exactly what they feel, but if you can hear the unsaid, you can understand them better. For that to happen, you must experience that person totally and never judge a person from just what he says. See him as clearly as possible. Read the Body Language Cues There are many body language cues, which you can learn to read through experience. There is no one set of body language rules like road signs. They change from person to person. Look for all the impulsive, jerky movements, as well as posturing cues. They tell you a lot. See Things From His/Her Perspective To read a person's mind requires no special trick, more than the ability to see things from his/her perspective. Look at world, warped through his/her emotions and experiences. Well, that is never exactly possible, but you can get an idea about why he reacts to certain things in a certain way, if you only put yourself in his/her position. Observe Without Preconceived Notions I read somewhere that, if you judge people, you have no time loving them. In the same way, I would like to say that if you judge people immediately, you will never have enough time to understand them. When you listen to a person, listen keenly and do not judge before taking in what they are trying to convey. Observe the facial expressions, look into the eyes and take all of it in, without judging. Later, you can analyze it. This way, you do not miss anything. As you spend time with that person, you eventually learn the patterns of his behavior. He or she will slowly become predictable, as you perceive a thought forming in their minds through subtle external manifestations, long before it becomes obvious. Understand the Core One of the greatest mind tricks is to understand what forms the core of that person. What are his/her core values? What idea does that person represent? Every person is an idea which is a manifestation of core values, principles, his insecurities, fears, what drives him and what he is emotionally invested in. If you can understand that, then reading that person's mind and predicting what he'll do will become possible. That is, you'll be able to read their mind. None of these tricks are easy to pull off, as you must have figured out by now. They require you to experience a person and observe for long. Every one of them requires practice over years and an inherent ability to empathize with a person. There are people you'll meet, who are opaque to your mind reading. They are highly controlled, non-impulsive individuals. They can cloak their emotions and intentions masterfully. They will seem like an enigma to you. You will always meet somebody like this eventually and then your expertise at mind reading will be tested. Whatever little I have learned, I have mentioned it here. When you know people more and understand them deeper, there is much that will amaze you and much that will make you repulse when you probe their deeper nature. You being one of them, they are not hard to understand. Value the beautiful things you find inside and try to forgive the ones that shock you. You will find great love, compassion as well as great hatred. You will perceive light and darkness. In the process, you will learn to handle reality. You will realize that what one sees is only relative reality.