Trust

Today, I heard a great definition of trust:

"If I make myself vulnerable to you, you won't leverage that vulnerability to my disadvantage."

When I heard it, I realized that all the people I don't trust in my life--the reason that I don't trust them is that they do NOT give me the above noted assurance that they wouldn't hurt me if I DID trust them.

So what: 

This thought encourages me to be transparent in my dealings.  When people know what my interests are, they can evaluate for themselves whether or not those interests pose a threat to their own.  More importantly, I should consider other people's interests as they relate to my own--always taking care not to create a disadvantage for someone who's trust I care to earn.\