“As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” - Goethe.

I used to think I was a trusting person, perhaps too trusting, or so I thought. Then, I hired a coach who had the privilege of observing me for a long time through various seminars and workshops. In our first session, he asked permission if he could share feedback with me (asking permission is very important, by the way).

I said yes, and then, among other things, he told me his impression of me was that I didn’t trust anyone. I was shocked at first, and instead of choosing into defensiveness, I asked him, “How do you mean.” I don’t remember the specific examples, but I do remember thinking if he feels that way, then I must be coming across that way. I began observing my interactions with others and my feelings. It turns out that I had the most distrust with myself - if you can believe that.

Once I saw the programs I was allowing to run in my life, with his help, I was able to work on trusting myself and others. Like everything, self-mastery is never completed; there is always room for improvement; however, I am a lot more trusting of myself and others than I was just a couple of years ago.