Every Interaction Builds or Breaks Trust

Today I woke up in a grumpy mood.

(I hate to admit it, but it's true.) 

And then I made the mistake of checking my email and found an email that was a little bit "triggering" for me, but that actually deserves a considerate response.. and I almost fired off a reactionary email to this person. 

Thankfully, I knew better. 

I remembered a conversation that I just had, in which we were talking about this idea: 

Every interaction is an opportunity to build trust and goodwill, and strengthen your reputation as a trustworthy person, or diminish trust and goodwill, and tarnish your reputation as a trustworthy person. 

This is especially true in relationships that are already compromised, or where there are already some challenging dynamics between parties. 

The way you, "act into" each step in the relationship really, really matters. 

So, fortunately, I was remembering this conversation I had, and I paused and practiced self-management. I put on my running shoes and some good ol' rock and roll music, and I took my dog to the forest for a run. 

And I shook off my own energy and I came home from my run in a much better place to be considerate with my response to that email.

At the end of the day, I don't know how the next turn in the conversation is going to unfold, but I can feel good about my ability to self-regulate and to put something forward into that compromised relationship, that might help it heal.   

So- the trust tip for the week is twofold. 

1) Remember that every interaction is an opportunity to build or diminish trust.

If you think about it in this very crisp, clear, and decisive way, it will help you to make the right choice about what YOUR next move should be. 

2) If YOU are not in a good space to handle a challenging person or situation, give yourself permission to pause and move some energy around, so that you can respond, rather than react. 

When you can respond thoughtfully to a challenging circumstance, you will be a TRUST BUILDER. 

Make it a great weekend!

Be safe, be healthy, be well!