Are You Too Trusting?

What is trust? These five letters have such a significant role in all our lives right from the time we were born. This article was supposed to be out earlier in the month but I couldn’t express in writing my understanding and knowledge of what trust is. I didn’t know how to explain the meaning of trust although deep down I knew exactly what it meant to me.

So I have decided to trust you enough to share my experiences in this article in hopes we will learn from each other, the meaning of trust and to make better choices in whom we place our trust.

Before we begin, allow me to explain why I chose this topic. The answer is simple, I recently encountered distrust.

While writing this I asked myself, is trust built upon small moments over time or is it based on a much grander gesture?

To figure out this puzzle, I sat and reflected on a few situations I have encountered. Perhaps some of you may be able to relate to this; when I was in kindergarten, I pooped in my pants and I remembered how everyone was laughing at me and no one wanted to sit next to me. I remembered telling my mum that I will never ever trust anyone anymore. The next day, I recalled a sweet girl coming up to me and sharing the chocolate she had brought me from home. That small act of kindness meant the world to me and restored my faith. Just like that, I began to trust again.

Another incident was when I was driving home after my dad’s 30^th Day funeral, my friend called and asked if I was okay. In that moment, a connection of trust was made. I let my guard down and took it as an invitation to express my pain and sorrow. I wasn’t afraid to show her my vulnerable side, trusting that she would understand and not judge me in any way. I was right to trust her.

The most recent experience was when I trusted a stranger I got to know in a day. He came up to me at an event, made me laugh and we had the best conversation! He asked all the right questions and hit all the right notes. He was courteous and extremely caring. On top of that, we exchanged stories about our lives and families. In just a matter of weeks, he managed to convince me to take our relationship to the next level. I agreed. That was how powerful small gestures accumulated over a period of time, be it short or long can lead to trust.

Unfortunately, that trust only lasted for a while as I soon found out that all his stories were lies. This just goes to show, it is as easy to build trust as it is to break it.

Being in my thirties, I was confident that my experiences with people over the years would have given me enough knowledge to make the right decisions in choosing whom to trust. Perhaps I was mistaken.

Having said that, I strongly believe that choosing to trust someone does not make you weak, naive or vulnerable. It only means that you choose to see the good in people and that you are bold enough to build a connection based on faith.

If that recent incident has taught me anything, it is this: never let incidents of distrust change who you are or worse, break you because they only teach you life’s most valuable lessons. And more importantly, learn to TRUST your instincts.

Share your thoughts with us! How do you define trust or learn to trust someone? Leave us a comment below. We would love to hear from you.