~TRUST - Why is trust so rare?

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Trust

There’s no dissent. Everyone agrees. Trust is a good thing and distrust is a bad thing. Everyone I`ve talked to says trust is essential to success in business and worthy personal relationships. Honesty, integrity, and fairness are not only moral virtues, they`re wise life strategies.

So why is trust so rare? Because you don`t get it by wishing and wanting. You earn it by your actions. Sure, everyone wants to be trusted, but there`s a price – you`ve got to be trustworthy all the time. That means being scrupulously honest even on little things and especially when it might be costly. Honesty is not just telling the literal truth, it`s conveying the truth. Thus, deception through clever wording, half-truths, or calculated silence destroys trust as surely as a lie.

Honesty involves truthfulness, sincerity, and candor. If you want to be trusted, everything you say must be true. You can`t mislead or deceive, and you can`t rely on legalistic loopholes or hide behind excuses like, "You never asked." Sometimes you`ve got to volunteer information, telling people what they need or want to know, not just what you want to tell them.

But that`s only the beginning. Trustworthiness is more than honesty. It includes integrity, promise-keeping, and loyalty as well. If you want to be trusted, don`t get caught up in gamesmanship and self-justifying excuse-making. Put principles above profit.

Yes, trust is hard to earn and just as hard to maintain, but if you have it, your life will get better. You`ll have the loyalty, devotion, and admiration of family, friends, and co-workers, and you`ll have the freedom, power, and security that come from being believed.

Trust me. Whatever it costs, it`s worth it.


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