Do You Practice Being Trustworthy Enough?

Be Trusting People: The Fourth Key is to Trust. We were all taught in school to trust others. That was the message of the movie "The Secret". It's a lesson that we should keep in mind as leaders.


Trust is not just about rules. Trust is also about manners. We are all obligated by our religions and cultures to trust people in business. To be trustworthy is to be aware of the human tendency to err on the side of caution. As great leaders, those entrusted must be capable of trusting even those in other organizations to investigate the human condition via the course of everyday business practice.

When dealing with others, we can never know everyone's intentions or motivations. Leaders must be capable of being trustworthy without necessarily being trusting. Being trustworthy requires having confidence in your own self-worth. Being trustworthy involves respecting others and their rights.

Those who are successful learned to extend trust to others. People who are successful learned to extend trust to themselves first. They also had to learn to extend trust to others.

Some suggest that you should only extend trust to those you can control. However, the old adage, 'you get what you pay for,' is also true. If you are thinking, 'I don't want to be trusted' but feel you have to be, consider carefully whether it would be worth it. If you do decide to be trusting someone else in business, consider hiring a personal trainer or coach who can help you gain the ability to extend trust to others.

A lot of self-esteem programs teach the concept of building trust with others. However, there are several things you can do to develop trust in yourself. Being trustworthy doesn't happen overnight so expect to take consistent actions toward building trust with yourself. You should also be careful not to become completely dependent on another person. If you begin to depend on them too much, they may start to think of you as an almost clingy type of person.

If you are feeling as though you need to give someone else everything you have, consider if there is anything you could do to gain some more trust in yourself. Listen intently when they speak, pay attention to their body language and ask probing questions. Consider taking time out to slow down and do a little reflective meditation to help yourself gain a sense of detachment from the situation at hand. Once again, if you are thinking, "I can't do this. I'm not good enough," try some of these suggestions and if these do not help, discuss them further with a trusted mentor or coach.

You may find yourself saying, "I am trusting my gut," but this is one of the best ways to put yourself into a position to be trusting. Sometimes all it takes is to feel your way and then tell yourself what you're feeling. After all, you are the one who has to stay honest and trustworthy no matter who you are trusting with your heart and mind. Don't let someone have complete control over your life. Use your intuition to guide you to whom you can trust.

The best way to develop the ability to rely on your intuition when trusting others is to practice regularly by setting aside time to think about what you are feeling and how you are feeling it. Think about whether you are feeling as though you could trust the person, but you are not. Allow your feelings to guide you to whom you can trust and then tell yourself, "I am trusting them." It is essential that you remind yourself that you only have one life under the sun and you should live it to its fullest while being open to changing your outlook and circumstances to better suit yourself and those around you.

Achieving Trust is a Choice: Just as you must choose to be open and honest with yourself and others in order to build trust, you also must choose to be trustworthy. By practicing being trustworthy on a daily basis, you will notice a difference in yourself and in those around you. You will learn to be more trusting of yourself and others and you will start to see the changes around you as proof that you do indeed need to trust yourself and allow yourself to be open to the changes your heart desires to see.

Be Trusting is All in Your Head: Once you have chosen to be trusting of yourself and others, it doesn't matter if others don't feel the same way. It doesn't matter if you don't like the way you feel or are afraid of the outcome. As long as you continue to practice being open and honest and choose to trust yourself, there will always be a place for you in the world. Just remember to keep building upon your foundation of trust.