I love this picture of my cat and young dog together - a perfect picture of trust. The cat might scratch the dog and the dog might bite the cat, but both choose to overlook what could/might happen. They have chosen to trust and feel confident around each other, resulting in a strong relationship that brings joy to them both.
Trust is such an important part of our relations with others
Trust is such a fundamental part of all of our relationships, whether it is at work or personally. Trust underpins everything in the relationship and enables it to thrive and be the best it can be. It’s likely that we have all experienced times of being ‘bitten’, when we trusted someone and felt we were let down. Whilst this can and will be an occasional outcome, it would be a very sorry world if we chose not to trust again. I’ve found the more trust I give, the more I receive and the better my relationships are.
Trusting to share inner worlds can build confidence
As a coach I sometimes work with clients that are looking to build confidence. These clients are often comparing themselves to others who seem to have everything together. They look around themselves and see confident presenters; popular colleagues; organised colleagues; colleagues gaining promotions; colleagues who everything seems to fall in place for. They want to experience what these colleagues experience. The issue is they are comparing their inner world that is full of rehearsals, hopes and doubts with the outer world of others. It’s like comparing apples and oranges. Have you ever complimented someone on the great presentation they did, only to be met with a full critique of where they went wrong, the long pause, what they forgot to say etc? You didn’t notice when you were watching because you hadn’t seen the rehearsals, so you took the final show for what it was and appreciated it.
If people trusted each other more, they could have these open conversations, sharing more of their inner worlds and discovering the similarities they share. They would understand there is no such thing as a final polished article, we are all just a work in progress, and everyday is a chance to improve ourselves.
If you want support with your self-development, confidence, presentation skills or career enhancement, please get in touch for an initial consultation to discuss your needs and find out how I might be able to help.