Chapter 39 Trust

Imagine that I were to ask you to perform a simple game of trust. Stand in front of me with your back towards me. I will make sure there is a I-metre gap between us. Now fall back keeping your body straight. Don't look around because I'm going to catch you. Would you trust me? Your answer would be determined by a number of factors. Perhaps the first thing you would want to know is whether I could manage your weight. Then maybe you would like to see me demonstrate my ability with someone else. No doubt, a consistent record of successful catches would lower your fear and perception of risk.

However, my performance and track record are not the only factors that would determine how much you could trust me. You see, we all have our own personal history when it comes to trusting people. A background full of trustful experiences could make it easier for you to trustful experiences could make it easier for you to trust. Conversely, a back ground of betrayed trust could leave you highly skeptical of anyone, no matter what you know about them. Neither position is any better than the  other. Both can lead to careless decisions, whereas an experience of broken trust can make you less gullible and susceptible to having the wool pulled over your eyes.

Unfortunately, there's no universal formula to assess trustworthiness. Sure, it makes sense to observe a person's actions over a period of time before you trust them. But we can never be totally  certain of their future actions. So there comes a point when you have to trust your own judgement. You see, at bottom, trust comes back to you. People can never force you to trust them. you must decide to give it. In a sense, trust is exactly that, a gift.

There comes a point when you have to trust your own judgement.


Relationships are built on trust. but that doesn't mean we have to trust a [person in every domain before we can forge a bond with them. trust is not an all or nothing concept. So if you're looking to rebuild trust in a person, Remember there's always something you can find to trust about them. People will always demonstrate a consistency in some area of their life-even if that's in the fact that their words and actions are always inconsistent. that may sound strange. But once you know what to expect from a person, good or bad, you'll be in a much better position to rebuild trust.