Guest Post: TRUST

Today's the day! Today, I'm having a guest post. My first ever. Yay me!

This post is all about TRUST. To some, TRUST is just that - a word. As time passes by, it seems to have lost its true meaning. Taken aside and completely forgotten. But to some people who still values this "verb", it is as important as LOVE. Trust is not something that you give.. it is something that should be earned. You see, the funny thing about trust is that it takes years to build but it only takes a mere second to destroy.

Now, my first guest post is from a blogger/Twitter friend. I'm very thankful that he sad YES to my request. Haha. His name is Habib (better known to his friends as Akoni) .. And here is what he has to say.

According to Manong Wiki-wiki eh-eh Pedia-eh-yeah, trust is reliance on another person or entity. Just as love, you have to work hard to earn it. What I am trying to say is that, trust doesn't grow overnight. It isn't like a mushroom that emerges from unattended soil and grows on trees almost everywhere. It's not something that you can just buy from a store. It has to be earned.

Let me begin by defining TRUST. To trust means to be vulnerable. It means to be able to rely on someone, having confident expectations that your being vulnerable would not be taken advantage of. It also means to expect things from other people.. simply to rely on other people on what they will do and on what will occur next. If we can surround ourselves with people we trust, then we can create a safe present and an even better future.

Trust is a crucial element in a relationship. May it be family relationships, romantic relationships, friendship or working relationships. It is one of the foundations of human interaction.

Maintaining relationships and friendships can be quite complicated tasks, at times. They take much work. Sometimes issues of TRUST and MISTRUST may show and convincing someone to trust you again can be quite challenging.

There are common steps on how to earn trust but there is one that I'm quite sure will work, based on my experiences. The first and only step is to become a real friend. People will only trust the ones closest to them. You need to get inside their inner circle of trust by being close to them, by being honest and sincere. Spend extended periods of time with them. Enjoy each time that you're together and make it count. Be there for them on good days but never leave them during tough times. Be the shoulder they can cry on. If a person knows that you've been through the worst with them, they will be more willing to trust you. Never lie to them. Be sincere. Share your own thoughts and feelings with them. By opening up, you will help encourage them to open up to you as well. And the most important of all, you should learn to trust them. In the end, you will get their trust in return.

There are many reasons why we lose trust. Probably because of a person's acts of neglect, or because of being selfish. Gaining TRUST is not an easy and earning it AGAIN can be very difficult. Before any trust can be rebuilt, you must address on how or why it was broken in the first place.

Now, this is the time for brutal honesty. A complete confession of how the trust was broken should only be done when you are both ready to hear it. Heartfelt apologies should be offered with indications of remorse and promises to not violate the trust again. The most difficult task is then to forgive. It is never easy to forgive, but if you continue to hold on you will constantly live in a state of rage or anger. Forgiving doesn’t mean that you excuse abusive behavior. It does mean that you are able to work towards letting go of the past.

- Akoni

In conclusion, TRUST is one of the most important ingredient in all relationships, may it be simple or complex. Without it, no relationship can grow. It builds the bond between people.

To trust is to be optimistic and to have faith in people. It also is very risky. To trust is to become vulnerable by exposing yourself to people, and believing that they will not take advantage of you. Yet, it is a risk that each one of us is WILLING to take, and each one of us has to WORK HARD to earn. It is a sad thing that nowadays, it is often given freely to undeserving people, thus it is easily taken for granted and thrown away in a blink of an eye. But one should also remember that the betrayal of trust brings about feelings of disappointment, frustration and hostility. That is why such simple a word should not be taken lightly. To trust is to have faith in the goodness of the heart of men.. and to be trusted is the BEST compliment a person could receive.

"You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment unless you trust enough." ~Frank Crane.

About the blogger:

His name is Habib M. Macarampat. He is a native of Marawi City and is currently working as an Admin Assistant at Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He likes to read books but doesn't like watching horror and suspense movies. He is a fan of Bob Ong, Vic Sotto, Rowan Atkinson, Ben Stiller and Nicolas Cage. His favorite superhero is Batman. You could also follow him on Twitter. Username: @Akoni0609. Do visit his blog Kaharian Akonilandiya and read his great posts.