Trust is one of those things that has to continually be worked on.  Over time it will develop on it’s on, but for it to grow strong and powerful, we must be willing to give ourselves to one another on a different level than with most.  The following is a few tips to help grow this most vital trait to growing and developing our friendships/relationships.

1.  You Have To TAKE And MAKE Time To Get To Know One Another!  You need to take time to share each other’s biggest dreams, as well as worst nightmares.  You need to discuss your morals and why you feel the way you do.  Take time to think about how you were raised, what you value and what your challenges are.

2.  Figure Out Where The Boundary Lines Are Located!  As you grow in your friendship/relationship, you will discover that these are often changing as you face challenges and as you grow.  This is where honest conversation is very important and this is why getting to know each other is so important.  You need to know what the limits are – what is acceptable and what is unacceptable.  If something makes one of you feel uncomfortable, then you need the freedom to share, and if the freedom is not there, then you have a major boundary that is going to get in the way of the friendship/relationship moving forward.  It’s not about doing whatever you want and it’s not about controlling the other person, it is about growing together.

3.  Practice The Golden Rule!  “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!”  This is just common courtesy and should be a given in any friendship/relationship.  Give what you want and receive what you give.  This is seriously one of the biggest challenges to our growing, because often there is an expectation of one kind of treatment, but the display of another.  If you love and care about someone them treat them, the way that you want to be treated in all things, not just some things.

4.  Communicate, Talk & Share!  The more open you are about who you are, what you do, how you think, where you are going and when you hope to get there, the better off everyone will be.  You cannot grow a friendship/relationship, if you do not have regular and meaningful communication.  Get rid of the guesswork for the other person by being totally open about what you think and feel.  Distrust starts to sneak into a friendship/relationship when there is any breakdown in communication.  The distrust may be totally unfounded, but we are humans and when their is a void our mind tends to fill it with the worst of our imaginations.  If you really love your friend/partner, then you should want to communicate in as many ways and as many times as possible.

5.  Practice Honesty!  Sometimes this is easier said than done, because we don’t want to risk hurt feelings or bruised egos, but in the long run it always costs us more, if we miss the boat on this one.  I say practice, because this will always be something that you are working to improve.  The best way to tear up the bridge of trust is to start being dishonest with each other.  Don’t get angry, just explain yourself, where you are coming from and why you did what you did and begin building from there.  If you made a mistake, admit it and once a mistake is admitted – move forward without dwelling on the past.  

Before we wrap up, let’s take a moment to talk about broken trust and what to do about it, because it is bound to happen at some point.  When trust has been broken, it does not have to mean the end of the friendship/relationship.  Many friendship/relationships have survived broken trust.  The key is to realize that it is going to take time for recovery and if the two of you are willing to make the time for the recovery, then it is more than possible.  In fact, it is possible to build the trust stronger than it was before.  You may have to go back to “Square 1”, but you’ve been there before and it was a great place to start from.  Three things are important here:  1.) Ask for and give forgiveness.  2.) Allow time for healing of the hurt, anger and madness.  3.) Accept and deal with the changing boundaries.  

Life is better when it is shared!  And you were created to share life with others.  Take some time to work on TRUST and as you grow in your friendship/relationships, you will live blessed!

Society and the enemy puts an idea in each of us that we are not good enough, pretty enough, smart enough or strong enough to ever amount to anything that really matters, but don’t believe that lie!  God made each of us as individuals and so we are not supposed to all be alike, so stop trying to be like someone or something else.  The key to being loved and growing in love is learning to be who you were created to be, not who or what we think everyone else is telling us to be.  Stop trying to fit into some profile created by someone who knows nothing about you and start living up to your created potential.

This bad thinking leads to the creation of bad habits.  Everyday that we live, we are creating habits, some are good and some are bad.  The goal is to get rid of the bad ones and to grow the good ones.  It is way past time for us to get rid of the negative attitude of dread that keeps us from moving forward.  It is time to grow the positive attitude that understands that it takes all kinds and there is a purpose for me, my skills, talents, abilities and even differences.

You Creator does not allow the challenges of life to try and take you down and out.  He allows the challenges of life to challenge, grow and develop you, so that you can be the best you ever.  Realize today that you are special.  You are loved.  You have an amazing purpose.  And your future is set for incredible.  Now run into that realization and live blessed!

Jealousy is a very ugly emotions that does harm on just about every level of our existence.  The problem with jealousy is that it consumes you from the inside – out!  Jealousy causes you to want something that you do not have and when you get focused on what you don’t have, you fail to appreciate what you do have.  It may be a relationship, a possession, a responsibility or any number of different things, but you can’t allow anything to cause you to travel down this destructive road.  It will take so much more than it will ever give.

You have to learn to control this emotion or it will control you.  None of us are perfect and we are all doing battle or need to be doing battle with something.  If you need to be doing battle wit jealousy, then I want to encourage you to:

1.  Realize that you are not perfect and that is okay!  People can expect you to be perfect, when they become perfect, so I think it’s pretty safe to say that you have some time and space.  

2.  Talk about it by sharing your challenge with someone who understands!  Not someone who is going to excuse the damage it is doing, but someone who has been there and worked their way through it.  I have found that my best counselors are the one’s who listen and help me to listen to myself, so that I can hear what I am really saying.

3.  Put positive stuff in!  Read positive books, articles and blogs.  Listen to positive and upbeat music and teaching.  Watch things that will inspire you to strive for the better blessed life that you were created for.  Turn off the TV and go outside and walk and take in Creation.

Today I challenge you to begin the journey of getting rid of jealousy!  Take and make some time to appreciate all that your Creator has blessed you with. Gratitude is one of the most powerful medicines you can take!  Be happy for others and their blessings without envy, resentment or bitterness.  There is enough blessing for everyone and hating on someone else’s blessing is not going to make it yours!  Stop worrying about what other people think or say, their opinion of you, is none of your business.  Fall in love with yourself and realize what a great blessing you have been created to be.  The greatest is not behind you, it is in front of you and waiting for you to come and get it.

You are blessed, you are loved and you are ready to live a more fulfilled life that makes a difference.  Stay after it, give it all you’ve got and live blessed!