When the topic of trust is brought up in relationships, people think it’s because someone has broken that trust and they’re working on rebuilding the trust in the relationship. Some of the ways trust can be broken in a relationship is through betrayal, dishonesty and betrayal.
However, the focus of relationships from the beginning should be to build a foundation of trust so that they don’t experience the consequences of the issues above. Below are four ways to build and maintain trust.
FOUR WAYS TO BUILD TRUST
• Make sure you don’t break your words and promises. Your word is important, so it is essential that your actions back them up. Honoring commitments is a very good example of practicing this. When you say, “I’ll be there to help you move on Saturday,” ensure that you’re there on Saturday. It comes easy to us to promise the world to someone we care about. However, more damage is done when you make promises and don’t keep them. This does not mean that you’re not allowed to change your mind or things can’t happen preventing you from meeting your promises that you can’t control but you must ensure you explain any changes accurately so they don’t doubt whether to trust you.
• Let your intentions be communicated clearly. Communication is important in maintaining a successful relationship professionally and with friends and family so therefore it is also beneficial in romantic relationships. Your partner can not read your mind so you’ll have to ensure you communicate your intentions clearly and often. Doing this makes your partner aware of your thoughts and that do not have to guess or make assumptions which can lead to then taking the wrong steps and lose your trust and vice versa.
• Take responsibility for your mistakes. Being accountable for your actions are important in relationships. When you make a mistake and you apologize for it, your partner will be aware that you can be accountable. We all make mistakes. In order to build trust in a relationship, one should take accountability for their mistakes, ask how they can make it better and promise that they won’t make the mistake again and at the very least, attempt to prevent it happening again.
• Be honest at all times. This is perceived to be very easy to do but it actually isn’t. Many people lie and sometimes with good intentions. A lot of people lie in order to prevent arguments, avoid uncomfortable situations or to please the person they’re lying to. This one may seem like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised how many good-hearted people lie. When you lie about little things; what many of us term white lies, it becomes difficult for people to trust you when bigger issues are in contention. Instead of lying, it would be better to ask for time to think about it ‘Can I get back to you?’ is an example or ‘Can we discuss this later’, these options are better than lying. Telling the truth always is the basic step to build trust everyday in relationships.
With these four practical keys that you can use to maintain trust and in relationships, I believe you can start your relationship with a sturdy foundation. If you’re already in a relationship and aren’t practicing the following, I encourage you to begin to implement them. Practice one of the keys for at least two weeks before moving to the next one. Trust building is a long game, not something that can be done in a day. Exercise patience and slow and steadily, you’ll see the rewards in your relationship.
