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My husband and I attended a parent orientation at UMass Lowell this weekend.

It was a well-curated, organized event that felt safe, was unexpectedly fun, and was highly informative. Adding this experience to our past visits, we’re becoming more comfortable with our student being right where he needs to be.

We’re beginning to trust that he will be safe and cared for during his time at their university. The experiences they provide for students and families build a sense of trust.

Just before lunch, a university employee presented information about internship opportunities and cooperative learning. She introduced herself and shared her longevity with the university, her extensive experience in different departments, and her long-term success in supporting our students in work opportunities.

She appeared excited about working with every one of our students.

During the presentation, she began a sentence with “TRUST ME!”

I immediately paused and became curious.

While sharing the years of experience and passion for the work had created a sense of safety and security, was that enough for me to return the words, “I trust you with my student?”

I mean, she hasn’t even met my student!?

How did I know that I could “trust her?”

On our ride home, I realized how similar this is to entrepreneurial businesses.

We start businesses with years or even decades of experience to support those who come behind us on their journey. It’s easy for us to say, “Trust me,” and then present them with ways to support them on their journey.

We’re speaking from a place of comfort, experience, and confidence in our ability to support them.

The person in front of us is uncomfortable and inexperienced and looking to us for guidance.

Before we can provide that guidance, we need to build trust.

So, what is trust? Let’s begin with the definition:

Noun

1.firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.

Verb

1. believe in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of.

We’re taking on an essential topic of the human experience.

Trust equals safety, and our brains love feeling comfortable and safe!

A great place to begin our month around the topic of trust is a discussion of how well we trust ourselves, what it means to us, and how others might perceive it.

“Cynthia Wall, the author of The Courage to Trust, explains trust as both a learnable skill, emotion, and a choice to be made in each moment.” [1]

That whole sentence can feel like a lot to unpack:

• We learn to trust (oh, hi, brain, mental maps, neural pathways, and what happened to you?!)

• Trust is an emotion (oh, hi, emotional regulation and the ability to access our prefrontal cortex; it’s been a minute!)

• Trust is a choice (I see you, Ego, and how DARE you tell me I’M responsible for this?!) [2]

Like the university speaker this weekend, we need our experience, knowledge, self-trust, and confidence to say, “Trust me, I can support you.”

Still, we must build a trust-based relationship before the other person can receive that. [3]

This month, we’re unpacking self-trust, trust in business, what happens in our brains and bodies when trust is present and when it isn’t, and more.

Buckle up. It creates a sense of safety! 🧠

My questions for you this week are:

1. How well do you trust yourself on a scale of 1-10? (1 being the least and 10 being the most)

2. What do you think informs that decision?

3. How are you discerning that number is realistic? [4]

Reply and share with me!

The answers you need for your business are already within you. If you’d like support in identifying them and building a business you are proud of, I’m here to help.

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Jamie’s Second Brain Corner

[1] Source

[2] Did you miss our month on Ego?

[3] Did you miss our month on Relationship?

[4] Did you miss our month on Reality?

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