Week 88 - "You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you do not trust enough" — Frank Crane

Trust is an interesting concept.

It carries the same universal meaning, but how trust is gained, maintained, or lost can vary from person to person.

I’ve always considered myself a trusting individual who’s probably a little too quick to have faith in someone. However, since being in college, I’ve noticed that other people often take much longer to reach that level of comfort.

I understand why; life experiences, especially negative ones, shape how we approach trust. Many of us carry scars from betrayal, broken promises, or simply unmet expectations that make us cautious about extending our faith to others.

But trust isn’t just a reflection of our belief in someone else, it also has a large influence on those we place our trust in.

Let me explain.

When we express trust in someone, we give them an unspoken invitation to meet the expectations that come with that trust. In many cases, people rise to the occasion because they recognize the value and responsibility placed upon them.

On the flip side, when we doubt someone's integrity, we don’t give them the opportunities that would allow them to demonstrate their trustworthiness. As a result, mistrust can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, where the lack of trust discourages behavior that would earn it back.

Oddly enough, this dynamic gives a significant amount of power to those we trust, and they, in turn, hold some power over us. When we trust someone, we’re not just being vulnerable; we're also giving that person the chance to affect our well-being, for better or worse. And the deeper the trust, the more power they have.

Of course, there are exceptions to this idea. Not everyone rises to the occasion when they know they are trusted. But if you think about the last time you found out someone trusted you, I’d guess you were probably more likely than not to live up to their expectations.

In a world that’s filled with cynicism, it’s easy to understand why some people might be wary of trusting others. Negative experiences reinforce the belief that the world is cruel and that people are out to get you. But even if that cynicism is justified, it doesn’t do anything.

In fact, constantly expecting the worst from people creates a cycle where no one is given the opportunity to prove otherwise.

If you zoom out, you’ll see that trust is much more than just having faith in others. It’s about how we see and experience the world as a whole.

Develop a good sense of trust, and you’ll see the world as it was meant to be, a beautiful place with so much to offer.

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