Trust, Relationships, and Quality of Life

With everyone we meet or casually run into, we have varying levels of trust in that person. We trust friends far more than strangers. If we have a good relationship with our families we will trust them just as much, if not more, than our friends. Co-workers will gain a certain amount of our trust based on how our interactions with them have gone.

Trust is not something that is gained instantaneously. It takes time to build up and is done by showing the person, or the person showing you, that they can be relied upon with your/their commitments to you/them, and trusted to do what they say they will do and when they say they will do it.

It is a journey on its own. Trust is also a very important part of any type of relationship, whether it’s personal or professional. Without trust, the relationship will not work and will fall apart.

We also need to be conscious of the fact that we play a large role in just how much others can trust us. In order for us to trust someone else, it is equally important for those people to be able to trust us. This is a two-way street.

So how do we gain the trust of others and grow our own value in the relationships we have with others in our lives?

We do this by growing as a person. Personal growth is not only important but is a lifelong process. Part of our personal growth is surrounding ourselves with people we can trust and rely on. The quality of life we have will be influenced largely by the quality of the relationships that we have with other people.

If we have poor relationships with those around us, we are more likely to feel a lower quality of life and importance. However, if we have great relationships with those around us, we are far more likely to feel like we matter and that our life and meaning in our lives and that of others is important.

A major role in the quality of the relationships we have with others is going to be determined by the trust and how much trust that is in those relationships. That means the trust we have in them and the trust they have in us.

A deep and meaningful trust in a relationship with anyone is not something that comes immediately upon meeting each other. Growing that trust is going to take time and effort on both sides. The unfortunate part of the trust in our relationships is that it can be lost in an instant.

You or the other person could do something or say something that completely offends them and all the trust that has been built up can be gone in that instant.

Sometimes those relationships can be repaired over time and brought back to a healthy level. Unfortunately though, sometimes the trust has been so broken that it is irreparable and the relationship is lost for good.

So, how do we build up that trust with other people?

The answer is quite simple and short. We build up that trust when the other person is able to see that we are relatively consistent with and for them. That’s all there is to it. When a person knows they can depend on us, that we are going to do what we say we will do and when we say we will do it. When we follow through when they need us without expecting anything in return.

When someone is sharing sensitive information with you, unless permission is given, keep that sensitive information to yourself and don’t go talking about it to other people. Part of the trust is the ability to be able to confide in someone and know that they aren’t going to go and tell everyone your private issues.

When someone feels that they can come to you with accomplishments and failures and that you will listen to, support them, possibly offer advice, and not be judgmental of them, the trust will grow.