It is better to suffer wrong than to do it, and happier to be sometimes cheated than not to trust." - Samuel Johnson
I was on a tele-seminar recently with International Health Coach Jeremy Likness and he asked a very interesting question about Trust.
We were talking about individuals finding mentors and trusting their mentors enough to pay for their services or to teach them what they wanted (need) to know.
The question caught me off guard because the truth of the matter was I hadn't really given sufficient thought to what TRUST really was in the world of self improvement, personal development and finding mentors because I just trust people. Well, until they prove otherwise...
First of all a mentor is...
men?tor - A wise and trusted counselor or teacher.
Second of all trust is...
trust - Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing.
With that cleared up...
After I got off the call I realized that I should have explained that every time I met a person that did not trust me, it was THEY and not me who were not trust worthy!
Now before you go and say, "Well that's a generalization Rasheed!" Let me explain this:
People who give trust, CAN be trusted. People who do not trust others are NOT trust worthy. It's that simple and I don't need some Forrester Research or Harvard to tell me that!
Think about the last time someone didn't trust you... Did they prove to be worthy of trust? I highly doubt it.
As with everything in our world Trust has two sides and both serve their purpose.
So how do you trust people? You just DO. It's all about your attitude and changing it to get what you want.
If you want to trust people, give it first or you'll be considered untrustworthy.
Everyone gets burned more than once in life but, the ones that succeed are those that get burned, learn and keep trusting the right people.
As for trusting mentors, do I need to give the definition again???
If they've reached a level of personal development and you want be there, then you should seek them out to teach you how to get there with ruthless efficiency.
Mentors serve three major purposes as a resource.
Intellectual Resource
Spiritual Resource
Financial Resource
After you've gotten over yourself or distrust, you decide what who you want and go get a mentor.
If you still don't trust people, then here's what you do...
Walk over to a mirror and take a long hard look. Then say to the person in the mirror, "Hey I hope you're happy because you and I are going to be where we are right now, for quite a while." ;-P
With learning to trust achieved however, you will break through obstacles and become more powerful every day.
"Self trust is the first secret of success." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
*** Rasheed Ali was once a homeless runaway on the streets of NY and is now changing the lives of thousands of people from all walks of life...Helping them reach their ultimate potential by conquering any and all obstacles through his Conquer Your Adversity Newsletter. He is also co-founder of http://www.SleepYourWayToRiches.com You can subscribe to his newsletter at http://www.RasheedAli.com ***