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Why it’s Good to Trust No One But Yourself

By Operation Meditation

Do you have issues trusting other people? Are you positive that the only one you can count on 100% is yourself?

Some people argue that you have to trust other people in order to live a happy, fulfilling life. While that may be true to a certain extent because you can’t shut everyone out, you can’t overlook the importance of trusting yourself first and foremost.

So often we get sidelined by others. They mislead us, whether intentionally or not, and cause us to go down the wrong path. Before we know it, we’re in the middle of something we swore we’d never do, wondering how we got there.

While clearly not everyone has ulterior motives, the problem comes in when we don’t listen to and trust ourselves from the beginning. So, how do you do that?

Know yourself intimately. Understand how you think and feel so that you know when you’re at risk of making a bad decision. You can do this a number of ways. You can:

Make lists. Write down your strengths, weaknesses, triggers, thoughts and behaviors. Sometimes it helps just to see it all in writing.

Meditate. It’s hard to get to know yourself when you’re constantly distracted by things. Take some time to just sit quietly so that you can clear your mind and engage your focus.

Take personality tests. There are several online options. Just answer a few questions and find out what the test says. You may want to take a couple of different tests and look for common themes in the results.

Listen to your intuition. Oftentimes we get in trouble if we don’t trust our gut. We feel like something is wrong or out of place, but because we can’t verbalize why we decide that we’re overreacting or wrong.

Your mind can pick up things that you don’t even realize. For instance, if someone is being deceptive with you, they blink more often. So, while your eyes pick it up and tell your mind, you don’t necessarily realize it. You feel something is off, but you can’t articulate it.

If you feel the hair stand up on the back of your neck or something tells you that things aren’t right, trust your instincts. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Accept responsibility for your own actions. If you’re going to trust yourself, you have to stop blaming others for choices you make. Yes, they may have done something that put you in a decision making situation, but in the end it’s up to you what action you take.

A big part of trusting yourself is being honest with yourself. You have to admit when you screw up. If you never own up to making a bad decision or mistake, then you’re lying to yourself and how can you trust a liar?

Put yourself first. If you’re going to have faith in yourself, you have to be willing to put your needs in front of others. You have to take care of yourself mentally and physically. Make sure you give your body nutritious food, ample water and a good amount of exercise. Keep it strong and healthy so it runs efficiently and effectively.

To take care of yourself mentally requires a few different things. Don’t be a ‘yes’ person. If you always cater to others needs before your own, you’re telling yourself that you aren’t important. Also, don’t let others walk all over you. If someone is disrespectful or hurtful, do something about it. Maybe you need to tell them how they make you feel, or perhaps you choose to no longer be around them.

No one will ever look out for you the way you will. Learn to put yourself first and trust that you know what to do. That way, when you decide to let someone else in, you’ll know it’s the right thing to do.

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