Trust and dependability is an integral part of every strong relationship. If you’re wondering how you can be trustworthy, just remember these 5 traits.We’ve all experienced people in our lives that are truly unreliable and dishonest.It could have been an ex, an old friend, or someone you’ve worked with.As we get older and wiser many of us get better at weeding these people out of our lives.The result is the ability to focus our attention on healthier relationships, which bring us happiness and leave negativity behind.
While becoming a trustworthy person isn’t something that can happen overnight, there are a few things that you can start doing differently in order to develop more trustworthy qualities. And in time, you’ll truly see yourself as a much more trustworthy, principled and dependable person.
# Be dependable
Do what you say you are going to do. It sounds so simple, but some people still cannot seem to follow through on their word.
I have a friend that constantly makes plans with me and breaks them a few days later, or just never follows up. I’ve been promised numerous girls’ days, nights out to Italian restaurants, and trips to the beach that we have never actually succeeded in doing.
I find it annoying to constantly have to second-guess if the date will actually happen or not. It should be simple though – we’ve planned to go, so we will go. But that is often not how it pans out with her.
# Be honestTelling the truth, and being straightforward, is at times, difficult to do. But they are essential if you want to be a more trustworthy person. A person that withholds information, or doesn’t say how they truly feel makes it difficult for people to trust them.
An old boyfriend of mine would never actually tell me how he was feeling, or communicate his needs to me. It was extremely challenging that I could never count on him to just be honest and let me know what was going on inside his head and heart.
# Keep a promise, no matter how small
When you promise someone something, you must honor that, no matter how small you perceive the promise to be. If you promised you would watch a friend’s football match, do it. Even if it means two hours of possibly the most boring game, order a beer, eat some nuts and make the most it. It might mean more to that person than you understand.
As well, most people deal with a lot of tough stuff in their lives, and often, don’t have enough decent relationships to feel secure in sharing. If someone confides something in you, don’t expose them unless it is truly bad for their well-being, or life threatening.
# Have integrityTrustworthy people hold strong moral principles, and stand by them. If you are constantly wavering on what values you deem important, and therefore bounce all over the place, it translates into dishonesty and unreliability.
For example, if loyalty is an essential moral that you find extremely important in a person, then you must be loyal in your own actions. Basically, you must practice what you preach.
# Stop gossipingThis suggestion is fairly straightforward, if you want to be a more trustworthy person, stop talking poorly behind people’s backs.
We aren’t in high school anymore, if you have a concern or an issue with someone, be mature enough to address them face-to-face. If it seems so petty that you wouldn’t want to speak to them about it directly, then you probably shouldn’t even be talking about it in the first place.