Trust Others, But Don’t Trust Too Early and Too Much
Trust is the foundation of any relationship – whether it is between individuals, groups, societies or even countries. In the absence of trust people will not be able to live and work together in peace and harmony. Relationships become stronger and flourish because of trust. Followers listen to and follow a leader because they trust him or her. Also, leaders find it easier to delegate and empower their followers when they trust them. All in all, trust is very fundamental to our survival and growth.
However, trusting others too early and too much (or blindly) may not be the right approach. Breach of trust happens where there is trust. A lot of relationships – both in personal and professional domains – get ruined because one person or party trusted another too early and too much. When one person or party trust another too much, he or she doesn’t look at things and others’ behavior logically. With high level of trust, emotions become more dominant. And when emotions are high, then people don’t look at, and analyze, things and people rationally. They just believe whatever other person or party say or do.
Creating a balance between your emotions and logic is very critical for building a trusting relationship. If you are relying too much on your emotions, then you may tend to trust others very quickly, which may not be a good approach. On the other hand, if you are relying too much on your rationality or analytical thinking then you may likely to question each and every behavior of other person, which may hold you back from trusting other person.
It takes time to build trust. Start by having a positive view about other persons. However, based on your experience and understanding of other person or party feel free to change your views.
You cannot (and should not) start trusting somebody from the very first meeting. Initially, there is a lot of anxiety, apprehension, and uncertainty when you get into any new relationship. But if you give enough time to understand other person or party while building the relationship, then over a period of time you will be able to build trust and have stronger relationships.
