Maintaining trust (#884)

I know how to maintain the trust others have accepted from me. I do not violate the trust. It is usually in the form of my thoughts, words and my actions. The key here is my thoughts. I have to build a mental castle around principles that define me and protect them from not only outside forces but from inside influences coming from me. Yes, I battle against my forgetful nature, not unlike everyone else, in order to keep my trust intact. I have had my trust violated so many times when I was younger that it is difficult to imagine that I hadn't lived out the rest of my life as a cynical man. However, a change came over me that exposed this reality to me, it being, I am the one who can offer trust to others and actually keep that trust if I work at it. I can only control that which is within me, not real easy but doable. With that, the trust I offer to others is of value and I want those who accept my trust to feel secure in the fact that I value my own offered trust. There is no ulterior motive for me to want you to trust me, there is only my honest intent to have a life full of principled living and honest sharing. It is of no comparison when weighing money with principle. I choose principle every time. Money is an artificial means for barter, my trust is a real means for friendship and companionship. No amount of money can buy that. Neither can power or influence compare to trust. There is no artificial means of conveyance that can measure up to the virtue of principle with the outcome of trust. To maintain trust I must think of others first and protect the investment others have made in me. I consider myself as a bank where people can go and deposit their wealth of emotion and knowledge and know I will protect it. We are all ever-growing in this reality of existence and having a confidant to share those growing pains or troubling experiences helps us to become better people. Maintaining trust within those I share it with is precious to me and worthy of my full attention.