Trust Issues
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My kids and I had a texting conversation about trust today. We were talking about a trust betrayed and what should happen to the person who took advantage of someone else’s trust. I’m proud to say they understand the value of being someone who’s trustworthy.
It got me thinking about the different types of trust I’m surrounded by each day. Our pets are a good example. One of our cats is easily spooked, and it’s taken a long time for Frank to feel comfortable coming into the house since they live outside in a toasty dog house. But this morning, when I went out to feed the animals, Frank trusted enough to come inside.
We have a couple of dogs too, and it’s clear they trust us. They know we’re here to take care of their every need, and we just ask that they let us snuggle them a few times each day.
I thought about the trust of a grandchild. How do they know you’re not going to hurt them? When that little girl reaches up to take my hand, my heart melts, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep her safe. But I’ve never told any of my grandchildren these things. And yet they know.
There are co-workers, neighbors, friends, and family members with whom we build trust. Really, every single person we come into regular contact with, we build a sense of trust. Or we don’t, and we do all we can to avoid interacting with those people.
There’s one more person
But what about you? Have you established trust in yourself? It can be a difficult process, but one that I think is vital if you’re going to listen and follow your authentic voice. At some point, you’re going to have to decide that those ideas that pop into your head are valid and you should trust that you need to act on them.
Referring back to my Simple Abundance book, I read an entry recently that quoted Oprah saying, “When you pay attention to what feeds your energy, you move in the direction of the life for which you were intended. Trust (there’s that word again) that the Universe has a bigger, wider, deeper dream for you than you could ever imagine for yourself.”
Just thinking about that brings a smile to my face, because I know the dream I’ve come up with for myself. If it’s bigger than that, I can’t even imagine the possibilities!
But to get there, you have to let go of your ego. Your ego is going to tell you that people will laugh at you, they’ll question your sanity, and they’ll wonder what was so wrong with your life before that you had to go and make everyone around you question their own lives because you’re reaching for dreams they didn’t even know you had.
It’s okay. Let them question you.
Simple Abundance also has this advice. “The next time you’re physically sick at the thought of leaving your comfort zone, calmly reassure your conscious self that the feeling of fear is passing through you and will dissipate if you keep on moving forward.”
A glance at my daily You Are a Badass calendar also reminds me that in order to achieve the life we want, we have to envision it first. Our brains can’t tell what’s real and what is imagined. So if I pretend I just got back from a book signing enough times, my brain is going to think that’s just a normal everyday activity, and it’s how we live, and it’s much more likely I’ll be able to make it a reality.
But above all, I have to trust and I have to believe in myself. And while I know I STILL can’t trust myself around certain types of chocolate, I have found the trust in myself to tackle certain dreams that have been sent to me. I hope you have too.