A few thoughts on the topic of trust and a little self-assessment exercise
I recently watched a program in which a medical doctor who is also a university professor, was discussing a diagnosis with his rather well-known patient. As he was going through the treatment options, he said something that I am having a hard time forgetting:
Wait a minute!!!
That statement doesn’t ring true at all! Most of the time, we do have our life in our own hands. Our decisions make a big difference in how well we do both mentally and physically. The way we eat, exercise, detox, what supplements we take, whom we hang out with, whom we trust, what job we decide to take, and what criteria we use when making our decisions.
Despite the fact that we may sometimes fail to achieve expected results, as soon as we reach 18 years of age we are in the driver’s seat of life.
I imagine there are two kinds of people reading this:
But let’s be honest, most of us are a mix of these two. When things are going well we have a tendency to take credit for the wins and good decisions, but when life goes haywire our ego has the tendency to blame someone else.
So how can we increase our chances of safely navigating the stormy seas of life? I find the most effective way is by learning. Reading books or listening to audiobooks and podcasts on a topic you are dealing with is always helpful. It may take a few tries, but eventually, you will run into an expert on the topic, and they will help you move forward.
The latest book I have been reading is called “The Speed of Trust” by Stephen M.R.Covey, who happens to be the son of the author of “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”
The premise of the book is that being trustworthy, and having trustworthy people in our lives and business, will make your life better and allow you to easily progress in any direction.
I love that the author begins by suggesting that we do a little inventory of whether or not we are trustworthy. Do we tell white lies? Do we love what we do? Are we honest with our family, friends, and co-workers?
This brings me to the final point of this short piece. In more than three decades of veterinary practice, I have seen how much mistrust there is between dog lovers and the veterinary industry, and sadly, I have to say that there is good reason for it. Veterinarians have been lured into an unfortunate alliance with processed pet food and drug companies, which has caused a breakdown in trust.
So how do we proceed? The only way is to begin with ourselves. Personally, I place trust as the second most important aspect in my life, right behind health. Without trust, your entire life crumbles. Relationships are broken and friendships are lost. And when it comes to business, it becomes slow and expensive, and only the lawyers benefit! 😉
Being trustworthy and knowing whom to trust is key, and once again, dogs are definitely better than us at both of these.