Building Trust

A Self Improvement Quick Tip

Building trust happens in blocks of time that can be measured in seconds or minutes, but the results can impact you for years. I've placed this process in the "Quick Tips" section because you can practice the recommended technique very quickly. The key, though, is to practice the technique often if you expect to enhance your personal development. If you practice it a hundred times each day, you'll more likely find that it becomes second nature. So, instead of expecting "quick results," you'll find it more helpful to think of "quick steps" or "quick practices."

The approach is basically the same whether you want to be building trust where it doesn't yet exist (for example, in a new relationship), re-building trust where it's broken (for example, trust was present and then an event or condition reversed it), enhancing the trust in a satisfying relationship, or fine-tuning your self-trust.

The idea is: start where it's easiest, become familiar with the feeling of trust, and carry that feeling to the area you want to experience or build trust. Here is each step with just a little more information.

The Building Trust Process

Start Where It's Easiest. If you experience deep satisfaction with one aspect of your work, feel what it's like to trust there. If a walk in the woods evokes ecstasy or freedom, experience being "in the flow" of trust there. If you feel total trust when you're with your partner, use that as your barometer for feeling trust. Let this be your home base for trust, whether you're physically in the situation that is easiest or you're visiting it in your imagination.

Become Familiar with the Feeling of Trust. In the situation you've identified as easy to feel trust, become really familiar with the feeling. Give it a name or imagine a color or hear a sound or draw a picture. Use whatever helps you to feel the feeling of trust and know that you are feeling trust. You may find it helpful to approach this in the way I explain in describing your Empowerment Stance.

Carry that Feeling to the Situation Where you Want to Build Trust. When you've soaked yourself in the good feelings of trust, let those feelings emanating from you, and then turn your attention to the subject where you are adding, changing, or building trust. If this is a situation where you're learning to trust again, you may find it more challenging than a situation that is new and fresh with no history.

If you drop the feelings of trust, relax and try again later. It's important to be gentle with yourself. It's better to spend just a little time doing this often than to spend too long at one time. It's important to think of building trust as an ongoing, continuous process rather than an occasional event.

More of the Story

While I've said that the process is essentially the same in any situation you have a desire for building trust, clearly a situation in which broken trust exists requires special attention. Give it time. Give it space. Give it love. Give it more. As it feels safe, give it a little more of trust of the quality that you feel in that easy situation.

I talk with many people who understand intellectually and speak articulately about the idea of "trusting the Universe" and "trusting the moment." Understanding intellectually and speaking articulately are worthy starting places, especially if you find that language helps you to integrate your thoughts and be in touch with your feelings. However, you can feel challenged when the circumstances are close and personal.

The essence of trust is very fluid. When you're trusting, you are in the flow. When you're building trust, you may find that the fluidity is intermittent. Trust can wash away old memories of distrust and mistrust and non-trust. "Trust" and "truth" are often associated with each other. Trust is aligned with Truth from a higher source; that is, trust is pure, not manipulative.

So often when I hear people speak about trust, the context is about trusting (or not trusting) someone else. Sometimes this is useful. However, I think it’s more useful to consider the extent to which you trust yourself. When you trust yourself, you know when to trust others. This is not a game of semantics, but the core issue of Trust. It’s a feeling in you, a communication from your inner self.

As you're in the process of building trust, remember to trust the process.

DailyAffirm Explores Trust Each May

During the month of May, we explore the theme of Trust on DailyAffirm for Personal Development with five different types of affirmations and practice exercises. A new message is posted each day. The essence of the DailyAffirm Process is to proceed through the month with a series of different types of concepts, affirmations, and exercises to explore the theme. In order to fully embrace trust, it is helpful to acknowledge that the lack or opposite of trust also exists. The key is to differentiate and choose.

Incidentally, DailyAffirm has been available to the internet community since 1994 as a transformational personal development process. Additional information is available on the top tabs and sidebar at DailyAffirm. If you visit in any month other than May, you can find entire process online by click the May archives.

Establishing an Over-Arching Intention for Trust
Before beginning the process, it's helpful to identify an intention for Trust. In fact, I like to call it an over-arching intention. That is, a statement that guides you in the exploration and embodiment of trust throughout the month in essentially any situation. You may find it helpful to decide which aspect of trust you particularly want to focus on, for example, building trust with a specific person, enhancing trust with yourself, or learning to trust again in a relationship that's important to you.

Find more about intention as an article at this web site. If you're uncertain how to write this intention, just make an attempt. Keep it simple. Here are a few suggestions for statements of intention about the theme of Trust (note the simplicity of the words and the depth of the ideas):

• To experience the world as a trusting place.
• To resonate with the consciousness of trust.
• I am trust, trusting, and trustworthy.
• To trust myself.
• To be a consciousness so that trust can thrive.

Releasing/Cleansing Affirmations for Trust (May 1-7)
The purpose of Releasing and/or Cleansing Affirmations is to let go of unwanted and unneeded stuff. This month these affirmations support you in clearing away non-trust and releasing resistance and contradictions to trust.

Old, outdated vows may be the most potent source of non-trust issues in your life. To experience this release, you might request that an angel support you in keeping your path clear of non-trust by dissolving toxicity, erasing negative images, and cutting bonds of attachment to non-truth and despair. Can you give yourself permission to let the angel of trust support you?

Receiving/Accepting Affirmations for Trust (May 8-14)
The purpose of Receiving and/or Accepting Affirmations is to open to allow something to be or to become. Open to receive and accept trust into your life.

As you open to receiving and accepting this week, consider what you need to make the process of building trust easier. Is anything lacking in your life that you need to open to? What are you ready to accept into your life? If by accepting something or someone into your experiences you must release something, then return to one or more of the affirmations for May 1-7 and release, release, release to make space to receive, receive, receive.

Being/Intending Affirmations for Trust (May 15-21)
The purpose of Being and/or Intending Affirmations is to ground your purpose, especially your higher purpose. To be and to intend are different, yet interrelated. Trust opens you to more trust.

As a successful person, you most likely use many methods to enhance your productivity and/or efficiency. A popular and valuable tool is the "to-do" list — you probably have one or even several! This week as you write your "to-do" list, be certain to also prepare a "to-be" list with such items as:

• Remember to trust
• Trust myself
• Remember who I am
• Trust my magnificence

Acting/Claiming Affirmations for Trust (May 22-28)
The purpose of Acting and/or Claiming Affirmations is to bring something into manifestation or to direct the energy of your intention to a desired manifestation. Allow all your actions to be associated with trust. Then, move through the week energized by the movement of non-trust to trust, distrust to trust, broken trust to trust, and so on.

Your power is in your attention. Give your attention to trust. Align with your intention. Ponder the power of One. Feel the energy of inspiration. Act.

Integrating/Embodying Affirmations for Trust (May 29-31)
The purpose of Integrating and/or Embodying Affirmations is to allow the energy and meaning of the affirmations to merge with your consciousness. It is important to understand that it is a continuous process to allow trust to integrate into various aspects of your life. Do it, and then do it again and again and again.

To embody the ideas of trust that you touched on through the month, review the previous four weekly exercises and identify any significant learning that stands out for you. Collect insights to remind you later in times of trust and non-trust.

Additional Resources, with a Variety of Viewpoints

A book of substance showing the importance of happiness without conditions	Ideas for building trust and keeping it in your personal and business life	Search Amazon for any product	About the vital importance of building trust with practical suggestions	Helps you to think more deeply about building trust, and see it as a basis for success

This Quick Tip Encourages You to be Building Trust Frequently

See Additional Ideas in the Self Improvement Quick Tips Section

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