Trust is a tricky thing.
Because it’s not logical.
We often act as if it were, though. Trying to craft the perfect argument and polishing our words.
But most of the time, trust isn’t a rational calculation.
It’s a gut decision.
It’s often lost for a very simple reason:
Something doesn’t feel right.
Maybe the words sound good, but somehow off.
Maybe the message is polished, but a little too polished, like it was designed to land well, rather than to be true.
Or maybe you’re saying all the right things, but avoid the hard truths, hoping no one will notice.
But they do. Perhaps not consciously, but subconsciously.
People don’t usually analyze why they don’t trust someone.
They just feel it.
And when that happens, they don’t think, “I don’t trust this message.”
They think, “I don’t trust this person.”
That’s the thing about trust:
It’s not built on how meticulous your words are.
It’s built on whether people feel that you mean it.
When you see it that way, trust isn’t something you ask for or actively build. It’s something people give to you.
Here’s what you can influence: choosing to be worthy of their trust.
When I remind myself of that, that choice instantly becomes easier. Not always comfortable. But easier.
I, myself, don’t trust people for how polished they speak but for whether what they say rings true.
And I suspect you do, too.
All of which is a long way of saying that if you ever wonder whether it’s worth saying the thing that feels a little less polished but a lot more true …
Say it anyway.
Keep lighting the path!
