Posts Tagged ‘relationship growth’

Building Trust

Great relationships have as one of their big characteristics a huge element of trust. It is one of the foundations upon which the relationship grows, and the stronger the trust, the better the relationship.

Growing trust is a process, you must earn it, and here are some steps you can try. Building trust is possible by following these steps.

Predictability

While spontaneous acts are nice some of the time and can spice things up, underneath all of that you need to be predictable. This might sound boring, but your partner needs to feel like they can depend on you, and they need to understand that you will do the right thing. Therefore it is a good thing to be predictable. Consistency and steadiness help considerably with building trust.

Action speaks louder than words

Be honest in your words. Don’t say you are happy when you are not. Speak up if something is bothering you - don’t pretend everything is fine. After all, if you are frowning or scowling when you are telling your partner that there is nothing wrong, well that is just not convincing. Your partner has the right to suspect that you are not being completely honest. You can understand how suspicion destroys trust. Tell it like it is, and encourage your partner to do the same. The sooner they are addressed, the easier it is to solve them, and working together on them builds a huge amount of trust.

Believe in your partner

We all have strengths and weaknesses. Respect your partner for what they are good at, and don’t expect them to be good at everything. If you do not believe your partner is good at anything, then there is a problem.

Trust and secrets do not go hand in hand

Do be open and do be completely honest in your relationship. Keeping a secret is a lot of work - and it is work that is better spent on positive things for the relationship. Put simply, keeping secrets will not only destroy the trust in your relationship, it will destroy the relationship itself.

Do not forget about yourself

While you should always be alert to satisfying the needs of your partner, it is OK to tell your partner what you need also. It is more than OK, it is necessary. Putting your needs out there should not be considered selfish. Don’t go overboard with this however - you don’t want to come across as selfish, simply well-balanced. Understand that if you do not express your needs, that is dishonest by omission and damages trust

Practice saying no

To say yes all the time is a bad strategy. This is not a bright idea in the least. It is much better to stand your ground on issues that you feel are important. That will make the times when you do say yes nor real and genuine, which is great for building trust.

More trust equals a better relationship

Growing a relationship, and moving out of the comfort zone together, can be a great trust-builder. Doubt, apathy, and much bitterness derive from stagnation. These are not the friends of trust. Showing that you are prepared to push the envelope on the relationship earns you great trust and respect.

Follow these steps and your relationship will grow stronger and stronger.

Visit the author’s Winning Back Your Ex website for more articles.