Focus your energy on building trust and connections within your local community, neighborhood, or street by getting involved, as this can strengthen social ties, provide a sense of control, and is more impactful than dwelling on large institutional problems.
Before extending trust to a person, piece of information, situation, or partnership, take a deliberate “trust pause” to slow down and consciously evaluate if it truly deserves your trust, empowering you to hold back when appropriate.
To prevent trust issues in professional or personal contexts, deeply understand someone’s underlying interests, intentions, and motives, and ensure they align with your own or the specific situation, as misalignment is a common source of problems.
Instead of aiming for large, daunting “trust leaps” (risks to do something new or differently), break them down into small, consistent actions to gradually embrace the unknown, get out of your comfort zone, and discover new possibilities.
Start repairing social fabric and bridging divides by intentionally engaging in conversations that make you uncomfortable, learning to be at ease with the discomfort of difficult situations and different viewpoints.
When evaluating trustworthiness, consider the specific context and the “alchemy of traits” (competence, reliability, compassion, integrity), as the importance of each trait varies significantly depending on the situation (e.g., a surgeon versus a best friend).
Don’t rely solely on your gut feeling; actively seek an outside or distant perspective from others who are not directly involved in your situation, as this can help you avoid biases and gain better information for trust decisions.
Become aware of your personal biases that influence who you trust, such as familiarity, physical appearance, cultural background, or education, by observing what signals you naturally focus on when meeting new people.
In professional settings like job interviews, move beyond simply asking “what” someone has done (competence) and instead focus questions on “why” they approach things and “how” they break down problems or handle difficult conversations, as these reveal character.
Be mindful that convenience often leads people to give away their trust too easily; consciously resist this tendency and prioritize genuine trustworthiness over mere ease or expediency.
When under pressure, high-stakes trust decisions (e.g., who to leave your children with) often lead to poor outcomes because you are inclined to believe the person; try to avoid making such critical decisions in these states.
Pay attention to children’s feedback and observations, especially when something “doesn’t add up,” because they are often highly observant and less likely to have an agenda that distorts their perception compared to adults.
Slow down and make a conscious effort to gather enough information and different perspectives before extending trust, as poor information is identified as a primary enemy of trust.
Actively seek and foster reciprocal trust loops in your relationships, where actions are exchanged, as one-way forms of trust (like with influencers) break these essential loops and can damage social connections and happiness.
Understand that your willingness and ability to take “trust leaps” (risks) can vary significantly across different types of risk, such as physical, financial, emotional, or creative; identifying these specific areas helps you understand where you get stuck.
To better understand and overcome personal trust barriers, reflect on their origins by asking if they were developed personally or instilled during childhood, as early experiences significantly shape your relationship with risk and trust.
When encountering trust barriers, critically evaluate how much of the obstacle is rooted in objective facts and data versus being based on your own fears and subjective perceptions.
Instead of trying to eliminate a trust barrier entirely, focus on making the “leap” (the new action or risk) smaller and more achievable, thereby reducing the perceived difficulty and making it easier to start.
Recognize that it’s unnecessary and exhausting to live in a constant state of high trust; understand that certain situations simply do not require a high degree of trust.