importance of trust
What do we mean by being trustworthy? Trust is essential for life, honesty is a moral value considered as a virtue. You can’t have relationships without trust, let alone good ones. Intimacy depends on it.
Act with integrity and always keep your word. Sounds pretty simple, right? The honesty of a person is a moral value considered as a virtue. Have you thought about making promises that you are not able to keep? Do you take shortcuts? Do you manipulate or withhold information to get what you want?
Deceit is the Antithesis of Reliability The problem most people face is that they indulge in “little deceptions” too often and don’t realize how they slowly erode one’s character and trustworthiness. For a confident person, the little things do matter. He or she does not exaggerate or distort the truth. This is called being principled. They’re not just feel-good slogans, but core values. Integrity is about actions and not just words.
Becoming a trustworthy person is within anyone’s reach. Reliability starts with you, no matter who you are. You can’t buy it. You can’t pretend to have it. You have to prove it. Most people measure trustworthiness in terms of the level of loyalty and fidelity towards others. Usually the biggest barrier to becoming a trustworthy person is ourselves. No amount of future promises can mend the broken one. There is no bandage or quick fix available.
Being reliable results for a high psychological well-being, significant friendships and business relationships, faster and more efficient decision making, greater personal effectiveness in groups. more support for your decisions, career promotions, win/win opportunities, example of trustworthy behavior, more time for creativity and relaxation, more money in your pocket (people want to do business with those they trust)
On the other hand, the inherent risks of being unreliable: it requires more time and psychological energy than its trustworthy counterpart and results in high stress levels, low energy, frequent job loss, meaningless relationships, low levels of creativity, high levels of of suspicion among friends, family and co-workers, high communication barriers due to lack of honesty and broken promises, poor and slow decision-making, high transaction costs and win/lose situations.
Will your confidence sometimes be misplaced? Of course. Life is not perfect and some people are not trustworthy. Will it make your life more enjoyable and less stressful? I think. You have little to lose if you try. Trust has to start somewhere. Why not with you? Why not today? Why not right now?
Be reliable. The benefits are far greater than the alternative. What do you think?