[aageneral] The Trust Factor

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__________

THE TRUST FACTOR

Are you aware of the TRUST FACTOR? The higher your trust factor is -
your ability to trust other people and to be trusted yourself - the
higher will be your level of life satisfaction. Let me explain.

We have been forced to become less trusting than just a few decades
ago. Something that happened in Oklahoma in 1950 probably could not
happen today.

In 1950 a man calling himself F. Barn Morrison went to Wetumka,
Oklahoma, and persuaded local residents to put up the money to bring a
circus to town. They did not know Morrison, but trusted his word.
Merchants bought plenty of food, beverages, and souvenirs in
preparation for the crowds of people who were bound to attend. And
Morrison sold advance tickets. The townspeople were ecstatic at the
thought of a circus in their very own town! Children could hardly
sleep at night.

Unfortunately, ecstasy turned into misery when Mr. Morrison slipped
quietly away with all the money. There would be no circus. The
townspeople were simple victims of misplaced trust.

The trust factor teaches us that every time our ability to trust is
lowered, our happiness and life satisfaction levels are lowered, too.

The story has a happy ending, however. Someone came up with the idea
of holding a four-day celebration anyway. And why not? They had all
the food and goodies. Calendars were cleared and, besides, everyone's
heart was set on having a good time.

They called their party The Sucker Festival. In a display of
good-natured fun, people celebrated the fact that they'd been suckered
big time!

I understand that The Sucker Festival, or Sucker Day, has been held
most every year since. The Wetumka folk even tried for a number of
years to contact the so-called Mr. Morrison so they could invite him
to the festival - but he was nowhere to be found.

Modern society chips away at trust. We teach our kids in school about
"stranger danger." We feverishly guard our identities against theft.
People we don't know we cast under clouds of suspicion.

Yet trust is a vital part of successful living. I enjoy Elsa
Einstein's simple statement of confidence in her husband Albert. "No,
I don't understand my husband's theory of relativity," she said, "but
I know my husband, and I know he can be trusted."

The trust factor also teaches that the happiest and most successful
people share two traits: they are trustworthy and they have the
ability to trust others.

First, they can be trusted. They have confidence in themselves and are
known to be honest and dependable.

Second, they can also name one or more friends or family members they
trust completely. They can be vulnerable and "real" with these people.

Factor trust into your life if you want to be truly happy.
__________

Steve Goodier Publisher@LifeSupportSystem.com is a professional
speaker, consultant and author of numerous books. Visit his site for
more information, or to sign up for his FREE newsletter of Life, Love
and Laughter at http://LifeSupportSystem.com.

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