Beware being TRUSTED!
Updated: Feb 26
Yes. You heard me correctly. There isn't a typo. I said, "Beware being trusted." This is the other side of the trust coin which is just as important as the side that has drilled it into our heads to be careful of who we trust. In fact, after I explain my reason behind this topic you may find yourself feeling that it is MORE important than it's counterpart.
Trust is a very important factor whenever human beings interact with each other. The lack, loss, betrayal or over extension of it can be devastating to relationships and more. When two humans come together for any reason, the level of trust that exists between them will dictate most of what they will decide to do together. When it comes to deals between two people, trust carries more leverage than friendship, relationship, and even admiration. It is a power between people.
One of the main things that trust brings is expectations. When we choose to trust someone it is because we feel that we can predict that their patterns of behavior will operate in line with the way that we would want them to behave in certain situations. We "expect" them to respond in the way that we want them to. We cloak truth with the statement, "I trust you to do the right thing." And then when that person doesn't do what we expected them to do, we devalue their worth in our mind and punish them by lowering our "expectations" of them. This along with a tongue lashing to hopefully lower their self worth is the normal remedy for this situation. And sometimes it turns out far worse than that.
Personally I am a person who operates within the parameters of trust with even a person that I pass by on the street. I treat my trust like diamonds. I don't offer my trust to people who may not have the ability to follow through with my reputation crushing expectation if they don't make the grade. I measure and weigh who and when I can trust someone and with what. I construct a formula for success that should work well in sync with the person that I have selected, who has demonstrated the ability to easily handle the level of trust that I am extending to him. This is how trust should be treated. It should be issued in a situations that are well thought out by a person who wants everyone to succeed and will feel personally like a failure if the person who he or she selected, violates the code of trust. This is called being responsible with trust and sadly, too many do not issue their trust with this type of effort. And that is why I tell YOU to BEWARE WHO YOU ALLOW TO TRUST YOU!
When accept trust from just anyone, that person may be someone who cant be trusted. And if that's the case, why would we ever position ourselves where their violation of trust can drip or be blamed on us? Accepting trust from one who is irresponsible with trust is self sabotage to have your reputation stained. Don't look at trust from another as a gift or peace offering. Learn to view it as a your new responsibility to meet the expectations of the one who just issued their trust to you.
It is best for the sake of relationships, our reputation, and the integrity of trust to never allow someone to trust you, who's expectations you don't know or trust, because their trust can end up as a trap. Trust me! -Jermaine Andre