Who Do You Trust, and Why?

by Ken on June 25, 2011 · 8 comments

Who do you trust?

Image by weir thru a lens via Flickr

One of the buzzwords in the world of Social Media is “Trust”.

We are told that the cornerstone of relationships is trust. If we are to build online relationships, either of a personal or business nature, we need to gain the trust of others, and in order to do that, we have to demonstrate that we are worthy of being trusted.

I work hard to be trustworthy in all of my relationships, and sometimes I’m more successful than at other times.

This is another topic that I’ve been thinking about a lot as I’ve seen situations where total trust has dissolved into no trust, almost overnight, without any real indication as to why. Relationships can be incredibly complicated and fragile things. We must not take them for granted.

So I ask a few questions today:

What do you do to earn the trust of others?

What is it about others that makes you trust them?

What does it mean when we tell someone, “I trust you”?

Have you ever had a situation where your trust in someone, or their trust in you, has dissolved in inexplicable ways?

What do you do when someone loses trust in you, even if you know you haven’t violated their trust in any way?

Is it possible to regain trust when it has seemingly disappeared?

I’d love to hear your answers and thoughts on any or all of these questions.

Tagged as: relationship, Social Media, Trust

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maryhruth
maryhruth 20 pts

While I believe we all want to be able to trust - and be trusted - we should remember that trust means that you don't doubt that the other person will behave the way you expect them to. You can trust someone to be nosy, or quick-tempered, or other not-so-desirable things. From that vantage point, it's not so much whether someone trusts you as it is a matter of what they trust you to do.

I've experienced the 'disintegration of trust in inexplicable ways' more than I like to admit. I want to trust so much that I often make excuses for what should be red flags. But it's important to assume innocence, and I'd rather be a trusting fool than paranoid. Loving and losing - that's what life's about, eh?

But seriously, trust is a HUGE issue for anyone working virtually. After 3.5 years as a VA, I'm still trying to figure out best practices to protect both myself and my clients.

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TheJackB
TheJackB 1488 pts

I think that there are levels of trust that are established between people. I agree with Joyce that most people are good and trustworthy. Always better to look for the best in people but still keep an eye open just in case. Over time you'll generally learn what sort of person you are dealing with and whether you can establish a deeper level of trust.

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XpressiveHandz
XpressiveHandz 8 pts

I find that in trusting others, they trust you in return. People are generally good and trustworthy. If you want the best for others, they will want the best for you. This is for most people. There are a few, only a few personalities that are controlling, manipulative or deceitful, or unhealthy that are just selfish and out for themselves, but they are the few. People for the most part don't intentionally mean to harm or hurt. If they do, and they prove to be doing it purposely, it is no reflection on you or your heart, it is a reflection of their own heart. You can do noting about that. However, putting trust in others first shows your own goodwill toward others.

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KenMueller
KenMueller 1741 pts

JoyceEdmiston That's a great point, Joyce. I know in one particular situation I have put a lot of trust in someone, though that trust hasn't been returned, even though I've done everything in my power to gain that trust. Time will tell!

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XpressiveHandz
XpressiveHandz 8 pts

KenMueller Relationships take both parties to work. If a person walks away, sometimes you just have to let them walk, it is their choice, and no reflection on you. It can hurt for a season. All you can do in that situation is to accept their choice, grieve the loss. That relationship may or may not be reunited in the future. That relationship can't be replaced or duplicated but you will have other relationships and new friendships come along that will be just as blessed and rewarding and unique as the one that is lost.

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