Days of PURPOSEFUL Thankfulness – Day #84

Note: Refer to day number 1 (July 25, 2015 post) if you do not know what this is all about.

I am sure you have heard the saying, “Trust is earned.” Yesterday I heard someone say that his experience has been that you do not earn trust, it is given. I was not too sure I agreed until he broke it down in a number of ways. When we take a new job, we agree to work free until the next payday believing we will receive pay. We visit a doctor we have never seen and when asked to remove our clothes for an examination, we do it. We are given a prescription by people we do not know and dutifully pop those pills or whatever the medication. We get on a plane and buckle our seat belts trusting that someone is in the cockpit. “…Sit back and enjoy your flight ladies and gentlemen. This is a recording.”  Haaaaa! Okay he added that last part of course but it was funny. He gave many examples that had me thinking. His point was that we “give” our trust to a number of things and people UNTIL we are given a reason NOT TO trust in that particular scenario again.

With that said, I am so thankful for those who give me their trust. I have been in many situations where I had not “earned” anyone’s trust, but someone just gave to me. I remember the first time I did the resume of a stranger for pay. Looking back on that first time, I have to admit I wondered if they would trust paying me upfront after our consultation session and getting their resume 1-2 weeks later. Nevertheless, they did trust me based on the referral of a friend. Then there was the first time I decided to start facilitating a class at my church. Would people be like, “who is she?” (It is a very large church) People made a choice to trust me with their time and their ears. In addition, one of my greatest prides—the first time I sold one of my books. Any writer who has not yet made a name for themselves will tell you it is a big deal for anyone to take a leap to buy their book. Well…I will speak for me. It is a big deal for me because it is humbling to me for anyone taking time to read what I have written.

So how are you thankful for the trust that you are given?