(Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 31 seconds)
We are frequently lied to and deceived.
People can hide the truth from us. We are frequently lied to and deceived.
This is one of the many reasons why it becomes difficult for many of us to give away our trust to somebody.
Trust is difficult to come by. Trust issues are so common that it makes it difficult for many to have meaningful relationships.
From a young age, we're conditioned to prioritize self-preservation and guard ourselves against potential threats. Relying on others whom we deem capable of helping us survive or even thrive helps on that matter, but we also learn from our experiences that it also comes with a lot of disappointments.
Those people whom we give our trust to, we put them on some sort of pedestal as we also look up to them, and we sort of match our standards to the most ideal image we can think about them. We set high expectations towards them.
But as it is inevitable for us humans to fail and commit mistakes, we experience a lot of disappointments. We feel betrayed and abandoned as people continue to let us down. Yet we're left wondering—why do the people we trust most end up betraying that trust?
However, despite the pain of betrayal, having a little more faith in others and putting confidence in them can ultimately be better for our well-being.
It can help us create meaningful connections and strong relationships. As we see one another as worthy of each other's trust, the more we build our confidence towards one another, as we also focus our attention on how others strive to be worthy of our trust.
We also learn to set realistic and reasonable expectations as we see how at times people can't live up to what we expect from them. We learn to not focus on just our own interests but to learn to discern and understand others and why, at times, they seem to fail us.
Ultimately, this can provide us with the sense of security and contentment we all crave.
It also helps us assess our own values, for as we want to put our trust in others, we also need to be worthy of their trust.
How can we build our trust in others?
We have to accept that people make mistakes. This will manage our expectations from others and will shield us from getting disappointed.
We have to be forgiving. Let us free ourselves from grudges and destructive emotions.
Give people the benefit of the doubt. Learn to hear their side of the story first before jumping to conclusions. Always assume that others have good intentions in their hearts. But of course, we should not go to the point of being naive. We still have to stand by our own truths and values.
Cultivating open and healthy communication also helps. Be open to what you expect from people you meet; set boundaries, but also manage what we expect from them.
As we continue to protect our own well-being, seeing others worthy of our trust will build our confidence in ourselves as well as help us learn to be more discerning and understanding.
Original post here.
Also, see more thoughts here.
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