Trust is one of those things in life that cannot be given; only earned.

But how many times a day do you hear the words “Trust Me!” – without immediately going into facepalm mode?

Sure – we might wait and see if someone delivers on what they promise – but that doesn’t mean that we trust them. Not in the least.

Trust is built on three things: relationship, execution, and time. Remove any of the three, and what you have is acquiescence at best, and resignation at worst – but certainly not trust.

We need time to experience the values that the people we interact with have. We need to see them reliably and repeatedly perform. We need to know that they can do what they say they will do, the way it needs to be done. Prolonged contact begets History begets Relationship.

Our cheapening of the word Trust comes in no small part because of the implicit redefinition of the word Friend through our immersion in social media. Because we see the same people on line, everyday, and maybe even trade pleasantries daily, we think we’re in relationship. But this is not Relationship with a capital R. If you’d like to test this, just ask one of your social-media-only friends for a loan, a place to stay, or a ride to the airport.

Relationship. Execution. Time. Trust needs all of these in order to exist.

Trust Me.

Go, and be you.