Saturday, October 21, 2017

An Eraser

“Trust is like an eraser. It gets smaller and smaller with every mistake.” (Picturequotes.com)

Are you one of those people that automatically trust everyone immediately? Are you the type that believes people need to earn your trust? What is it exactly that makes us trust another? These are all important questions that only you can answer for yourself. Trust is an integral part of our lives. No one can survive without it. It’s important to seek for it in a healthy manner.

If you’ve been hurt in the past by someone you’ve trusted or you find it hard to trust in general, maybe you need to take a second look at the criteria you use in making your decision. We need to know how to assess others so that we can trust the right person in the right situation.

The foundation for our best guess of trust is our knowledge of a person we’re dealing with. Whether it’s been twenty years or twenty minutes, we still have to assess what we know about that person, and make the decision to trust them or not. So what do you look for? Review the list below, and asses what is most important to you when it relates to trust:

·        First impressions: A favorable first impression will go a long way when a quick decision has to be made.

·        Gut instinct: Intuition plays a huge role whether you know someone or not.

·        Relationships: It’s easier to trust someone whose character you are comfortable with.

·        Confidence: Our confidence in others may prompt them to act accordingly.

·        Honesty:  People with integrity will do the right thing.

·        Past experiences: Good or bad prior experience will certainly sway a decision.

·        Consistency: People who have proven to be reliable in the past will more than likely continue to be that way.

 “Sorry works when a mistake is made, but not when trust is broken. So in life, make mistakes but never break trust. Because forgiving is easy, but forgetting and trusting again is sometimes impossible.”  (Sorry works)[i]




[i] Adapted from: “Where Does Trust Come From?” by Kimberly J. McCloskey
Topic suggested by my wife, Bobbi Kinker.
 

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