How Do You Tell If You Can Trust Someone? Trust Them Once.

Give, build, then earn trust.

Photo by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash

Throughout our lives there are constant opportunities to establish new relationships with others, whether it be business, personal, or otherwise. I’m of a firm belief that if you don’t have mutual trust with another individual, then you can’t have a solid relationship.

However, the problem arises when we meet new people and we continually grapple with ourselves on if they are a trustworthy person who keeps their word and actually acts on it. We ask questions, maybe look up some of their social media profiles, and constantly probe to see if they can be trusted. But consider this: If you never give anybody a chance to be trusted, then how will you know?

I have dealt with this problem for quite some time now that I constantly think about. For quite a few years now I haven’t exactly been the most sociable and outgoing person there is, I prefer to just keep the same circle of friends and family members that I have known for some time over many years. Which is interesting to me because I am not ignorant to how important having a solid network and set of relationships with others is for both your mental well being and professional opportunities.

But of course you also have to consider, “What if I get burned by new people, or waste my time getting…