Trust is difficult

Trusting can be soooo difficult

I am sure I am not alone in this. I have been let down a lot. I used to be all or none. A person had all my trust or none at all. This is not balanced or realistic. Trust is something that is earned gradually. It can be about telling someone my secrets and knowing that the secrets are safe, or it can be setting an appointment with someone and feeling confident that person will be on time. There are many levels. I watch for the words and actions to match. This is because trust is a strong belief in the reliability and truth of someone or something. It is a fundamental factor in creating and maintaining meaningful relationships.

Where do you start with trust?

I would say…. look inside. How can anyone develop trust in their outside world if they do not trust themselves?

A great first step for me is to spend time looking at my own trustworthiness with myself. Can I admit that I sometimes do not keep my word to myself? How many of you have decided to change your eating habits one day and then the next day you go back to eating the same old. (I am raising my hand! Guilty!) This does not build internal trust.

Okay, maybe I had a difficult day. Maybe I was distracted by something serious going on with me or with my family. I can cut myself some slack. Trust cannot happen when I hold blame or judgment. But if I am serious about working on trust, I need to hold myself accountable and start again.

Communication with myself is foundational to healing trust. Listening to the quiet internal voice that is giving guidance is equally important. This means resisting the urge to defend my actions. Actions speak louder than words.

What steps can you take to gain your internal trust?