"Trust me!"

Ahh, trust.

If it weren’t an issue, security companies would be out of business, and banks would never run credit checks.

There is nothing more important than earning, then keeping, a client’s trust, especially if your business handles a client’s major assets or sensitive information. It’s so compelling that people will even buy an inferior product if the person selling it is a referral from a trusted friend. Yes, it’s THAT important.

When gauging someone’s trustworthiness, we have a tendency to look for outward signs. We look for things like:

- Ethical business practices
- Experience, or
- Reliability

But there is something else. Something so powerful yet intangible that it can make the difference between a client enlisting your basic services or wildly and enthusiastically recommending you to everyone he or she knows.

It boils down to one simple, yet elusive word: Authenticity. You see, building trust is far less about something you do than something you are.

Are you more concerned about closing that sale, or do you really want what’s best for that person sitting across from you? Is it about angling for a win or making a deep connection? Whatever your motives, they will be felt.

I continue to be amazed that, despite how far we’ve come, there remains a pervasive sentiment: that trickery, or just simple force, is the way to achieve our most important goals. This belief persists because it DOES work, but not without a price.

If you approach your business, or any other area of life, for that matter, through a mask of self protection, fear, or ego-centeredness, you may secure some--maybe even a lot--of outer success. But your inner world will be in chaos. And your inner world is reflected outwardly, for everyone to see.

Think of those moments when you’ve been the beneficiary of a professional service, and something just feels “off.” Like the doctor who is capable and attentive, but then grumbles something negative to her staff. Or the estate planner who really listens to a family’s situation, but just seems to be trying too hard.

Those subtle waves of disconnection with that person are clues to the lack of authenticity and trustworthiness within.

Making a shift to authenticity is about moving away from egocenteredness. It begins by you connecting to your truest self.

Do you trust yourself to be honest? To be brilliant? Are you at peace with who you are, really?

Think of those people whose quiet confidence and sincerity never seems forced; you never feel like they want something from you, and they seem always present. They have an energy that hums along and feeds itself continuously without effort. They embody a confidence that is not the result of chance.

Be assured, that person IS you.

YOU are the master of your inner world. Only YOU have the choice to remove the mask and let the full essence of who you are shine for all to see.

As I’ve coached many unbelievably gifted people through this process, I’ve seen the incredible freedom it has created for them, the peace they experience that they never knew existed.

It’s quite simple really. To be trusted, you must first BE trust.