Trust is a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. It is something that we all want and find hard to give. It is the bond of society. Once it is broken, it is difficult to repair. Much value depends on trust.
Why does trust matter? Studies show that it lays the foundation on which social exchanges are built in business, personal relationships, faith, and leadership. As a cornerstone, people who trust one another can work together, collaborate, and exchange ideas. In relationships people feel safe to share information on an intimate level that helps reduce stress and anxiety, knowing that what has been disclosed is kept confidential.
As a leader, nurturing the trust of your team is imperative to the well-being of its members. Through trust, harmony is created, allowing your team to achieve more of the vision while walking out the mission in alignment with your core values. Trust allows the team to contribute towards community improvements rather than self-protection.
I recall a time when I was very trusting of everyone and everything. My discernment or judgment of others was naïve and gullible. Over time, as I began to mature through experience, I started to feel used by some who had ulterior motives and intentions regarding my participation in their visions. Though I am the type of person to be all in or not at all, I could see where the sentiments were not returned. Troubled at the end of each day, I could not sleep but replayed infuriating situational scenes over and over in my head. Unfortunately, trust began to break down as I began to keep distance between me and the powers that be. Then one day I had an epiphany. Was the lack of trust due to how I felt about those people, or was it how I felt about myself? It was then that I took a long, hard look in the mirror of my heart and asked, “Who am I? Who do I think I am? What were my intentions? What were my own motives?” When I answered these questions, I realized that I was not infuriated with them; I was infuriated with me. From that day forward, I learned to trust with realistic expectations. We are all human, flaws and all. No one is perfect. And, without trust we cannot build a healthy society. Taking the risk to trust again was challenging but became easier. Looking at others through the mirror of my own heart keeps me in alignment with the vision we share and the mission we walk out to get there. Trusting in the core values and walking in grace and mercy strengthens that cornerstone called trust upon which we build our lives.
Maybe you have struggled with trust. I encourage you today to take a deeper look within. Starting from there, may you become open to seeing others through that looking glass of grace and mercy. It’s time for you to get involved in making our society better. We need you on the team. And, you need us as we learn to trust together. Let’s keep growing and going. It’s a good time to be you!
Peace and Joy,
Coach Angela