You can feel it. You can also feel its absence.
When there is high trust in a relationship it is a safe place. You feel very at ease and secure in each other’s presence. There is a comfort level, a known acceptance of each other. The person knows a lot about you, good and bad, but you are loved and accepted in spite of it.
Being loved and accepted frees you to express what’s in your heart without having to monitor or censor you words. You don’t have to make sure you were understood. You don’t try to manage what the other person comes away with from the conversation. There is no need to—as they know you and your intentions and they believe the best in you.
Believing the best promotes an openness of communication. Nothing is held back, there is no fear in sharing dreams, tragedies, triumphs, as the other person isn’t going to jump to the wrong conclusions or make harsh judgments, they simply listen.
A relationship with high trust will be encouraging and affirming and you can depend on the other person to have some tough conversations with you when needed. “Hey, your thinking on that issue is a little off”, or “you might not be aware of this really bad habit, but…” They won’t leave you where you are—they help you grow.
The tangibility of trust is safety. You feel safe in the relationship.
The Trust series:
1. What is trust?
2. A lack of trust
3. Trust is tangible
4. Trust and suspicion
5. A track record of trust
6. Love does not guarantee trust
7. Burden of trust
8. The transparency of trust
9. 10 ways to build trust
10. 10 things that promote low trust
