I often find it hard to trust people. It’s probably one of the hardest things we as humans have to deal with: we give of ourselves, and sometimes we get let down. When I look back on past hurts and pain, it often resulted from broken trust.
I recently found myself in a pretty sticky situation where I needed advice. To be honest, I think it had more to do with the fact that I needed to get something off my chest. I found it hard to trust anyone with this information. It was like I couldn’t get myself to actually fully confide in someone. It’s easy to tell people surface-level things, but it’s difficult when you try and get to the real stuff.
Some time went by and eventually I just decided to come out with it to one of my friends. I told him what was going on, how I was feeling – everything. At first I thought he wouldn’t understand, but as I continued, I began to feel more encouraged.
There are a few things I learned from being open and honest:
1. Always have someone to confide in
I found that having someone that you can be open with improves your self-confidence and helps clear your thinking. You need to have someone in your life that will not judge you and will have your best interest at heart. I try not to confide in family members because they’re often too invested in your personal affairs. Trusting a close friend works best because you can grow together.
2. Don’t trust everyone
There is a different side to this, too: you cannot open up to everyone out there. Sometimes people only want information to gossip about. Make sure that you protect yourself!
Don’t be held back by past hurts. Trust others, but be wise in who you trust.
Godspeed.