There are numerous resources stating what trust is and what trust isn’t.

There are countless articles, illustrations and books with all kinds of defintions.

So I decided to embark on my own search for the meaning of the word trust.

While doing so, I found that in Hebrew, the word for trust is batach, written בָּטַח.

It means (1) to attach oneself, (2) to confide in, (3) to feel safe, (4) to be careless.

To be careless? How does that make sense?

The last definition startled me a bit, but it also got me thinking.

Here’s my take on what it means to be careless when it comes to trust:

We trust another without thinking. It means knowing that you don’t have to look over your shoulder if something comes up. You know without a shadow of a doubt that the person on the other side of the table, phone, or conference is going to be concerned for your interests as well as their own. In other words, you’re not in it alone. There is someone who is not only looking out for what is good for them, but what is good for you too. This is powerful because it means that they will look out for you no matter what the circumstance may be—and because of that you can trust without thinking about it.

We trust without watching what others do. When you can trust blindly, it means you don’t have to worry that the object of your trust won’t come through for you. It means that you do not have to worry about how to take care of yourself with that person, because they’re going to be worried about you too. When you trust another you don’t have to be on guard that they will betray you. It means that you do not have to guard yourself with them, because they are going to be concerned with what is good for you.

We trust without care or trouble. When you trust another, you don’t have to be concerned that they’ll do or say something behind your back. You do not have to watch your back with them, because they’re going to be watching it for you. Incredible things happen when you don’t have to always protect yourself or feel guarded. You can actually relax.

When true trust is present, you can be careless with each other, you can be open with each other, you can take risks with each other, you can learn from each other, and you can leverage the fact that you don’t have to always be watchful and protective of yourself.

 True trust is having access to another without having to worry; it allows you to be careless.

Lead From Within: For relationships to have trust, you have to be able to be open and vulnerable. You have to have access. When access is given, trust increases. When access is earned, more is built, and as more is built more is given.

Lolly Daskal is the president and Founder of Lead From Within a consulting firm specializing in executive leadership coaching and customized leadership programs. Connect with Lolly Daskal

Additional Reading:

Trust Matters. Learn How To Earn It and Keep It
Tear Down The Walls So Trust Can Get In
Leadership Rituals That Make Each Day Count
Take Care of the Little Things And The Big Things Will Take Care Of Themselves

 

The post To Trust Means To Be Careless appeared first on Lolly Daskal.