What is trust? Trust is the firm belief in the truth, reliability, or strength of someone or something else. When you trust someone, you believe they will keep your secrets, not judge you for your mistakes, and be there to lend a helping hand when you need most.
To reach your goals and achieve your dreams, you must be able to trust those around you. No one can accomplish success without a helping hand from someone somewhere. Even those who seem self-made needed an investor, or a confidant, or a mentor, or a supporting family member. Bottom line, people need each other.
Trust doesn’t manifest from no where though. It is an intangible substance that needs to be created, earned, nurtured, and grown. It is hard to develop trust and easy to lose. Trust is delicate, but even the most delicate creations can be immensely strong.
Trust is like a spider web – strand upon strand of fine thread weaved to create a tapestry of strength and function. When combined, the creation is greater than the sum of its parts. But lose one part and the masterpiece crumbles.
Embrace that trust is delicate and needs care and attention. If you live your life waiting for trust to come to you, it will be harder and harder to find.
So where does trust come from? How does it first come about? Who creates trust?
Creating and building trust doesn’t happen when you wait for others to act first because they too are waiting for YOU to act first. So when we wait, we never create trust. The person responsible for creating trust is each one of us.
Strategies to Create and Build Trust
- Offer your trust with no expectations. When you offer your trust first, you are putting the other person on notice that trust matters to you. Whether they return the trust isn’t what is important. Planting the seed of trust matters most.
- Be open about your why. Sharing why you need what you need shows people that what they offer matters to you for a reason.
- Take initiative and don’t wait to be asked. Lend the helping hand first. Call someone to ask about their day. Take the first step to building a relationship that doesn’t center on something you need.
- Learn about people as people. Recognize that those you interact with have a whole life of their own and their own reasons for behaving the way they do. Practicing empathy and understanding creates a firm foundation of trust.
Think of trust as a bank account that needs to have a deposit before you can take a withdrawal. When you wait around for someone else to take the first step, to EARN your trust first, you are withdrawing from a bank account that has no funds.
You can wait for someone else to earn your trust. But when you do so, you are putting the outcome into their hands rather than taking control of your own authority. Put aside your pride and take the next first step to creating and building trust in your life. From that foundation of trust that you will achieve your dreams.
