I’ve been thinking a lot about trust lately. These days, I look at anything and everything through trust-colored glasses.
If I’m considering a purchase, I think twice, three times even, before I put down any money. Before I buy, I want to know that I’m buying the right product for my needs and that the product creators or manufacturers will stand behind the product if there are any problems.
In short, I need to trust the product or service and also the person or company behind it.
How do I decide who to trust?
That’s an easy question to ask but not so easy to answer. How do we decide who to trust and who to steer away from?
Well, it’s complicated. Sometimes, it’s just a gut feeling. Until I started really investigating the whole concept of trust, I’d go with my gut more often than not. I just wasn’t thinking too much about it. If I liked the seller’s demeanor, if there was a nice photo on the website, if there was a money-back guarantee, that was probably all the evidence of trustworthiness I needed.
Not anymore.
The Keys to Trust
Trust is just a small word, but it packs a heck of a punch. What do I mean by that?
Well, without thinking too hard about it, brainstorm a list of words you associate with trust.
- Write down all the words you can think of that you connect with the concept of trust.
- Write a list of all the feelings that you associate with trust.
- Write a list of feelings you associate with a lack of trust, or a betrayal of trust.
We’ll look at those lists and their implications in Part 2.
