Relationship Advice: Relationships must be built on trust

Have you ever been in a relationship where you didn't trust the other person -- or vice versa?

As I alluded to in my prior post, relationships must be predicated on trust; otherwise, they are doomed to fail. Whether it's our spouse, a friend we've known for a long time, or even a co-worker, if you can't confide in each other, you're in for a heap of trouble.

It's not always easy to forgive when someone in the relationship lies to, deceives, or otherwise betrays the other person. However, as the saying goes, "to err is to be human," and everyone should at least make the effort to hear the guilty party out.

I've had several friends who have done things to jeopardize our relationship. Ultimately, though, I had to swallow my pride and give them the opportunity to explain why they behaved as they did. I'm glad I did, because they wound up admitting they were going through trying times in their lives and took it out on the wrong person (me). Sometimes people's actions aren't deliberate, and there's more to the behavior than meets the eye.

It always helps to have a heart-to-heart to get to the core of the issue. Why did the person betray the other's trust? What can be done in the future to prevent such a situation?

If all else fails and the relationship goes down the tubes, a valuable lesson can always be learned. It can take months -- if not years -- to develop trust in someone, but it can take merely moments for that trust to disintegrate.

By opening ourselves up to others and trusting them, we essentially become vulnerable. Though some people say you shouldn't trust anyone, I think this is a little exaggerated. If anything, it's more apt to say you shouldn't trust everyone.

Comments

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