THE TRUST FACTOR

Oil rig decor - “You should respect each other and refrain from disputes; you should not, like water and oil, repel each other, but should, like milk and water, mingle together.”

Are you aware of the TRUST FACTOR? The higher your trust factor is - your ability to trust other people and to be trusted yourself - the higher will be your level of life satisfaction. Let me explain.

We have been forced to become less trusting than just a few decades ago. Something that happened in Oklahoma in 1950 probably could not happen today.

In 1950 a man calling himself F. Barn Morrison went to Wetumka, Oklahoma, and persuaded local residents to put up the money to bring a circus to town. They did not know Morrison, but trusted his word. Merchants bought plenty of food, beverages, and souvenirs in preparation for the crowds of people who were bound to attend. And Morrison sold advance tickets. The townspeople were ecstatic at the thought of a circus in their very own town! Children could hardly sleep at night.

Unfortunately, ecstasy turned into misery when Mr. Morrison slipped quietly away with all the money. There would be no circus. The townspeople were simple victims of misplaced trust.

The trust factor teaches us that every time our ability to trust is lowered, our happiness and life satisfaction levels are lowered, too.

The story has a happy ending, however. Someone came up with the idea of holding a four-day celebration anyway. And why not? They had all the food and goodies. Calendars were cleared and, besides, everyone's heart was set on having a good time.

They called their party The Sucker Festival. In a display of good-natured fun, people celebrated the fact that they'd been suckered big time!

I understand that The Sucker Festival, or Sucker Day, has been held most every year since. The Wetumka folk even tried for a number of years to contact the so-called Mr. Morrison so they could invite him to the festival - but he was nowhere to be found.

Modern society chips away at trust. We teach our kids in school about "stranger danger." We feverishly guard our identities against theft. People we don't know we cast under clouds of suspicion.

Yet trust is a vital part of successful living. I enjoy Elsa Einstein's simple statement of confidence in her husband Albert. "No, I don't understand my husband's theory of relativity," she said, "but
I know my husband, and I know he can be trusted."

The trust factor also teaches that the happiest and most successful people share two traits: they are trustworthy and they have the ability to trust others.

First, they can be trusted. They have confidence in themselves and are known to be honest and dependable.

Second, they can also name one or more friends or family members they trust completely. They can be vulnerable and "real" with these people.

Factor trust into your life if you want to be truly happy.

From Lifesupport.