When you meet new people, how do you know who is trustworthy and which relationships you should back away from? Guess what? Sometimes you don’t.
I wish I could say everyone was honest or trustworthy, but I’ve learned through personal experience, unfortunately, they’re not.
During the journey of my success I have come across many people who have friended me only on attempt to take advantage of my contacts, my list, or my own success. Some of the people I trusted didn’t end up being the people I thought they were.
Thousands of people connect with me every year; whether in person, via my webinars or coaching practice and I’ve met some super-cool peeps. Some I meet once and that’s as far as we go. Others become business associates or lifelong friends.
I love people but I don’t just jump into relationships. First of all, I’m a little introverted. Second, I’ve worked hard to learn how to recognize the signs of toxicity before we go to far.
Some relationships are just plain not good for me – for whatever reason. Please note that I didn’t say NOT GOOD ENOUGH. I’m saying that some relationships are not in my best interest.
How do you know whom to trust? Here’s the best advice I can offer.
Follow Your Intuition
Something you can always trust is your intuition. It will never lie to you. Learn to listen. Now, you need to be able to discern whether your intuition is speaking or you’re being irrational, so don’t remove people from your address book immediately.
Eye Contact and Body Language
We all throw off a storm of signals without ever opening our mouths. Body language provides good info!
Does the new person you’re meeting make eye contact in conversation? Or do they look away; look down, or past you? Do they wring their hands or appear nervous?
Now sometimes people resist making eye contact because they suffer from low self-esteem. This can be especially common if you’re a leader or public person they pedestal. They might be nervous because they don’t feel good enough. In this case, ask yourself if their mannerisms match their words.
Reliability
Reliability is an aspect of being trustworthy. Peeps you meet might pass inspection at the beginning. As the relationship grows, intimacy deepens. Once you get to know someone better you might notice behaviors that you feel uncomfortable with.
Does your new friend keep his or her word? Do they respect your time and keep appointments? Is the person taking advantage of you – taking and not giving back?
Our worst fear – are they after something?
Okay, so maybe this is about you – are you being paranoid? When you feel suspicious about someone see if you can figure out why you might feel that way before crossing them off the list.
Do they remind you of someone who’s betrayed you in the past? Or is your intuition picking up on a signal that this person may not be who they say they are? Your inner guidance might be trying to warn you to steer clear. If so, listen. Better to be safe than sorry.
How do you know whom to trust? Well…