“It is impossible to go through life without trust: that is to be imprisoned in the worst cell of all, oneself.”~ Graham Greene
We live in a world where people disappoint us. Whether it is a new bride, like Kim Kardashian, reneging her wedding vows, a 
man (like Ashton Kutcher) caught cheating on his beautiful spouse, or a best friend caught in a lie, trust can be broken without a minute’s warning.
When tough times hit, it’s hard to believe the cliche’ “Everything will be okay.” And yet this belief is necessary to go on.
Trust is both an emotional and logical act.
We’re born trusting others and trusting that our dreams will come true, and yet the years scrape away at our innocence. Negative experiences bring about the realization that not everyone is trustworthy and life can be a crap shoot.
But I love Nan S. Russell’s opinion on the topic of trust. She wrote in her article, Building Trust in a Skeptical Era, that it is possible to rebuild our trust and not having trust can lead to negative results. She writes:
“Reduced trust impacts relationships, bottom-lines, innovative solutions, cooperative endeavors, and well-being.”
She also writes:
“Scientists at Emory University have discovered that, ” the small, brave act of cooperating with another person, of choosing trust over cynicism, generosity over selfishness, makes the brain light up with quiet joy.” (To read more of her article…)
Changing minds.org lists the many benefits of trusting and suggests that there is a cost to not having trust. They write:
“Not trusting others is an isolating action. If you do not get close to others you will not have friends to call on when you are troubled. Distrusting also adds the cost of stress in terms of the personal worry and anxiety about what the other people may do.” (To read more…)
So, whether it is in the workplace or in a personal relationship, how do you learn to build trust?
According to wikihow.com, there are steps you can take to learn how to trust again. The nineteen steps include ideas like “speak your feelings” to “show openness” and “be neutral when placed in difficult predicaments.” (To learn more…)
Frank Crane said it best: “You can be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you don’t trust enough.”
My belief (for what it’s worth):
Hope is based on trust. Without hope, it’s difficult to get through this life. It’s best to learn how to trust.
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