This was sent to me by a close Dom friend and i thought i'd share it.


Trust starts with yourself...but there is also this big question: is the person you want to trust, trustworthy? Do they demonstrate that they are worthy of your trust? You want to invest trust where it is worthwhile to do so, of course. There are certain things to look for that help you determine if
someone is worthy of your trust. One big one is: integrity. Integrity comes from the word integral. "Of a whole; of one piece". Is the person someone who is of one piece? Are their actions consonant with their words?

Do they say what they mean and mean what they say? When actions match words and intentions are clear, there is integrity in behavior. Life interferes with all of our plans, at times; maybe someone says they will call and then they don't. Once or twice may be understandable - but if there is a pattern of repetitive behaviors that lack integrity (or reliability)...that is a red flag.

Another point is reliability: can you count on someone? Can I count on you to show up for a play party date? Can I count on you to play hard with me and help me get put back together when I'm a snotball crying in the corner, at the end of it all? Will you do what you say you will do, when all is said and done, and can I rely on that? Reliability is closely related to integrity, as you can see.

Honesty is another biggie. Is the person truthful with you? Do they obfuscate, omit or lie in matters big or small? If someone has a difficult time conveying the truth to you there may be many reasons that is so....but in the end, the result is that you will not know if you can trust their word. This not only undermines trust, it makes it very hard to place trust and stay trusting of someone who tells you untruths.