Do What You Said You Would Do

I don't trust you, and I don't mean you are being deceitful. I have observed your words and your actions mismatch in the past, which makes it hard to believe this time it will be different. In other words, I think you are lying.

Or are you? It's a lot more common to confidently and genuinely make a promise and then habitually not deliver with no malicious intent. Recently, this happened to me in a relationship where I had no doubts my partner wasn't trying to deceive me. They meant exactly what they said. The problem was they didn't know themselves enough to recognize a false promise.

This realization shifted my perspective on trust. While I always strive to assume positive intent, I've learned that trust isn't just about believing in someone's honesty. It's also about having confidence in their self-awareness and ability to follow through.

In the end, trust is built on consistency between words and actions. Know your limitations. Before making promises, take a hard look at your capabilities and track record. Can you realistically deliver on your word? If not, it's better to underpromise and overdeliver than to risk eroding trust with unfulfilled commitments.

Do what you said you would do.