TRUST AGAIN

Very young children trust without a second thought. Actually, it’s not really trust. They don’t know what that is yet. They are moving through life in explorer mode.
They are learning new things every day. When a parent, some other adult, or an older sibling says they will do something, the child believes them.

The child doesn’t understand betrayal. Then eventually, that’s what happens, either accidentally or intentionally. Sometimes the first betrayal of trust occurs with a playmate. A promise is made, or aspects of a relationship are assumed. Then something happens which causes the child to feel hurt, confused, angry, and unsure about what happened. Why would their best friend do something like this? This is their introduction to broken trust.

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It’s the beginning of understanding the trust process. They take this lesson forward. The next time that playmate makes an important promise, the child is hesitant. The previous betrayal hurt so badly that they are unsure if they will risk experiencing that again.

Eventually, they develop the confidence to trust others according to some set of qualifying criteria in their minds. Sometimes these betrayals in childhood can
affect an adult’s decision-making process regarding relationships many decades after they were experienced.

Considering that a betrayal of trust can negatively influence a person’s life, is trust necessary? Can we have fulfilling lives without it? While the idea of never getting
your feelings hurt and never being betrayed sounds wonderful, you must accept those possibilities to live your best life

Here are five important reasons to learn to trust people, especially if someone has previously betrayed and broken your trust. They illustrate how giving trust can strengthen you and help you grow in many ways, giving you a richer and more rewarding life experience

TRUST GIVES WAY TO OPTIMISM AND POSITIVE THINKING

Trust, at its very basics, is a positive mindset. When you trust someone, you believe everything will work out for the best.

Otherwise, you wouldn’t be trusting someone. This is true in business relationships, on the job, in romantic partnerships, and with your friends.

When you’ve been burned in the past and still look at the future as possibly positive, which is what trust really is, this is an extreme vote of confidence. You are saying you believe in yourself and the person you trust.

Ask anyone successful in any endeavor, and they will tell you that positive thinking creates positive results. Negative thinking most of the time is going to deliver negative results most of the time. When you confidently decide to give your trust to someone, it doesn’t mean you have forgotten you have been betrayed in the past.

It says that you are certain both you and they can move forward and
produce a positive experience.

Positivity, just like negativity, is contagious. The more people you extend your trust to, the more positive energy you create in all areas of your life. This increases the likelihood that your trust will be upheld, and even if it isn’t, you’ll be strong enough to recover

TRUST MAKES YOU FEEL SAFE

Imagine you are deciding whether or not you can trust an individual. Maybe you want them to keep a secret for you.

It could be that you are considering going into business with someone. Did you meet someone amazing, and you’re wondering if this is the person you can open your heart to and share your life with?

For whatever reason, you’re trying to figure out if this person deserves your trust. If the proposed connection you are considering making isn’t that big of a deal, you don’t invest much time in the process.

On the other hand, this might require a lot of mental and emotional consideration. You are pulled back and forth between trusting or just moving on, which is taxing your brain. One thing this thought process does is create uncertainty. You just aren’t sure whether or not you can trust this person. Even after you open yourself up to someone, there is no guarantee they will honor your trust. It’s not uncommon to be afraid that the worst can happen

All that fear and uncertainty can make you feel unsafe. To relieve those feelings, giving your trust provides a sense of safety.

Psychologists call it psychological safety. When you decide to trust someone, a weight of uncertainty has been lifted from your back. This has to do with the optimism and positive thinking we talked about earlier.

When you trust your coworkers, friends, romantic partners, or someone in a business relationship, the fear of negative consequences diminishes. You have the confidence to believe that everything is going to be great

TRUST BUILDS STRONG CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION

To succeed in business, there must be a lot of back and forth. Every party involved in a business deal needs to be able to have their voice heard.

They need questions answered. When you trust someone else in business, you tell them you believe in what they are promising. That confidence gives them the belief that they can also have faith in you.

That opens up communication channels.

It’s the same in personal relationships. Trust improves communication. Since the giving of trust brings down a person’s defense system, that individual feels better about speaking their mind. The same is true for the other person in the relationship.

Both parties feel good about expressing their emotions and having open, healthy conversations. There are fewer misunderstandings when there is trust between two people or two parties, which means a better outcome

TRUST MAKES FOR MORE MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS

Sometimes two people may love each other completely. They may be willing to sacrifice anything for the well-being of the other person in the relationship.

But something happened, and neither one of them trusted the other. As much as they care for each other, that’s a doomed relationship. An argument can be made that trust is more important than love in a romantic relationship.

That’s because the pain of betrayal is deeper and more damaging the closer you are to someone

This speaks to how much of a meaningful and fulfilling connection you make when you trust someone entirely. You are telling them that you are vulnerable and willing to expose that vulnerability to them. This is the case with romantic partnerships and with your friends and loved ones.

Trust in the workplace or in a business deal is also a benefit. The more trust is given and shared, the deeper the connection.

TRUST BUILDS STRENGTH AND CONFIDENCE

When you trust others, you are making a powerful statement. You’re saying, “I am
strong enough to survive if my trust is betrayed.

Trust builds confidence in yourself. There is strength in handing your vulnerability to other people.

You don’t only become stronger yourself. There isn’t only confidence in you and
your ability to make wise decisions and relationships. You give others confidence that you are a person who can be trusted since you gave them access to your emotions.

You’ll find that extending trust after getting burned adds an extra layer of
toughness to your character. You recognize that you have been hurt but also have the strength to successfully overcome any future betrayal. You trust not only in another person but also in yourself

CONCLUSION

Trust is vital to living a full life. Without it, you can’t form meaningful, deep, rich relationships. Your connection to others will never go deeper than the surface level.

It’s absolutely vital for the best possible romantic relationship. Imagine relationships with your closest friends where you couldn’t trust each other. You can say that the difference between friends and acquaintances is unconditional trust.

Trust is so important in business that both parties in a partnership sometimes have to sign lengthy contracts. They may trust each other to hold up their ends of the bargain, and that signed paperwork enforces that trust.

In any job, you have to trust your coworkers and know that your manager, your boss, and anyone who assigns you tasks will be trustworthy. If you can’t trust a friend, they won’t remain a friend long. Regarding choosing a life partner, trust is one of the most necessary requirements if you aren’t going to endure a lot of emotional pain and hardship.

It’s tough to trust again after somebody breaks your heart. The same is true after a failed business deal or work experience where your trust was betrayed. While your immediate reaction might be to never trust anyone again, that’s probably not a decision in your best interest.

If you get burned emotionally or financially, in business, or your personal life, find a way to trust again. Learn to accept what happened and move on, a little wiser for the ordeal. This proves you are strong enough to overcome a betrayal of trust and smart enough to know that success in future relationships requires
confidence that trust will be upheld

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The most hurtful part of betrayal is that it usually comes from someone close to you. There’s no chance to prepare your emotions for this deception because you usually don’t see it coming. Even when signs indicate that someone close to you might be breaking some important trust, you may justify that this is not what’s happening

This workbook is designed to guide you on self-discovery, healing, and growth.

By engaging in the exercises and reflections on these pages, you will gain insights into your trust patterns and develop the necessary tools to restore and strengthen trust