Trust

This world can be a cruel and unforgiving place sometimes. There is no doubt about it. We as people often get trampled on, used, abandoned, dumped, fired, neglected, or even abused by those that we once loved or considered our friends. This leaves most of us with deep, internal scars. Once our scars have settled long enough, we forget how to trust.

Do you remember what it was like to be a kid? Life was filled with so much innocence. We always believed our friends, our teachers, or anyone else that spoke to us with enthusiasm. I mean, c'mon....they were friendly smiling faces, so why would they lie? Of course they wouldn't.

As time passed and years slipped away, we grew up, lost precious pieces of our innocence and started learning the cold, hard ways of the world. Soon, friends that we once thought we'd have forever ditched us for different crowds. People we loved so much started talking poorly about us behind our backs. Old family secrets tarnished sacred memories of deceased relatives. Spouses cheated on us. Co-workers stabbed us in the back to get small promotions that seemed like mere lateral moves. We forgot how to do one very important thing.....Trust.

While I still don't recommend trusting everyone in this world (due to the nature of modern man and modern society), I would not recommend abandoning trust all together. You will wind up damaged goods. You will find that you will end up pushing away close friends, losing lovers that are absolutely terrific, and missing out on a ton of happiness. I have been down this road before. I speak from experience(I am not some sort of preaching armchair quarterback).

Anyway, so how do you trust when the ability to trust has been lost? I'll tell you, but only if you want the honest answer. Oftentimes it involves falling flat on your face. It means making mistakes. It means exposing yourself, being vulnerable to others, and putting yourself out there in situations that may have once hurt you and that may hurt you again. The only difference between this time and last time is, you will be going into these situations with the mindset of a mature adult. It is time to recall the childhood, adolescent, and early adult experiences that caused your loss of trust in the first place. Once you recall them, write out the entire situation or situations, and how they made you feel. Why did they hurt you? Why do you push people away? Why do you avoid social situations? Why don't you trust certain groups of people? Why don't you trust yourself?

I truely believe that if you spend a little time answering these questions, you will end up a much happier person.....even if you become a little more emotional or angry at first(most likely due to your recollections of the past). After the smoke has cleared and the storm has passed, you should be able to know who is pulling your leg and who is being genuine, rather than distrusting all who walk your way. Who knows? You may even learn to trust. It's up to you now. Take care everyone!

See you next time!!!