🍵: If You Don’t Trust Others, They Won’t Trust You

When I was 12, I picked up this book for the first time.

18 years later one (very simple) idea from it still influences my life:

Trust.

It was a sunny summer day. I sat on my room's small windowsill with an open window. I was just relaxing. Listening to the birds. Soaking up the fresh Bavarian air and warm sunlight like a lizard on a rock.

It was a nice day. Nothing out of the ordinary.

But suddenly, I had the urge to look in the corner of my room where my little bookshelf was. It felt almost as if somebody took my head and turned it that way.

There, I spotted the book my father had recently given me. "Daodejing," it said in big letters on the cover, which was a black white photo of a lake with tress.

It was intriguing. This book pulled me towards it like a magnet. So I stood up, went to my bookshelf, took the book, and opened it...

Little did I know that the wisdom from this book would be my companion for the next 18 years.

Somehow, I was immediately drawn in by the words and their profound meaning. As if I were diving into a calm, peaceful, yet very deep ocean.

And there it was...

The quote that would continue to help countless times in school, work, and life:

"He who does not trust enough, will not be trusted."

As if Laozi were standing in front of me and personally speaking these words with his deep, slow, and wise voice.

"Trust," I thought.

So simple yet so powerful.

I think about that a lot. Even today.

How trust is having faith in something or someone without guarantees or proof.

How trust means being okay with being vulnerable and letting go of control.

But how trust can also bring peace of mind and confidence in oneself.

Of course, trust can be difficult to maintain and fragile at times. But I've found that when I do trust, things tend to work out better than expected.

When I trust others, it creates an atmosphere of openness and mutual understanding. When I trust myself, it allows me to take risks and grow as a person.

In today's world, where everything is constantly changing and uncertainty is a part of life, trust can be a difficult concept to grasp. We're taught to be skeptical and not trust blindly.

And I've also faced challenges along the way...

Betrayal.

Disappointment.

Broken relationships.

But I've learned that without trust, we limit ourselves and our potential for growth and happiness.

Every time I find myself struggling with trust, I remember the simple yet profound message of the quote above.

"If I don't trust, why should I expect trust in return?" I always ask myself. It has never failed to bring me peace and clarity.

It's a continuous journey, learning to trust and building trust with others.

But in my experience, it's definitely worth it.