Trustworthy

Back packing at Rae Lake with my brothers and dad.

The second value I choose to write about was being trustworthy.  When I think of the word trustworthy, I think about as a person you are dependable, true to your word, and someone other people can count on.  Personally, I see myself as someone who is trustworthy to my family, friends, coworkers, and other people I make commitments too in my life.  Being trustworthy is one of my core values because I think it says a great deal about an individual’s accountability and reliability.  To me establishing a trust between two people is essential for a successful relationship because the individuals can share information, be honest, and open with each other.  In my opinion being trustworthy is similar to being honest in the sense that you as a person are true and care about the feelings of the people around you. 

When I think about whom most influenced me in becoming a trustworthy person I would give credit to my three brothers as well as my parents.  The reason why I attribute my trustworthiness to my immediate family is because of the lifestyle I grew up in.  A majority of what I consider my family to be lives within twenty minutes of me and have been active in my life since I moved to California.  I think because of this and being surrounded by cousins and relatives, they have all trusted me and demanded trust in return.  Without a doubt, I would consider my three brothers (two older and one younger) to be my best friends and they have all shown/preached to me the importance of being honest and trustworthy.  Something that my brothers and I really enjoy doing together is going back packing in the Sierra Nevada’s and enjoying the outdoors together.  I think that through camping, hiking, and spending time together we have built a trust and understanding of our relationship.  There is something special about being in the outdoors and having to work together to make it to the destination that has changed how I view trust.  I also think my parents played a large role in shaping me to become a trustworthy person because of how we have communicated all my life.  I mention communication being important to having a trustworthy relationship because each “side” can ask for help, share advice, or be there to listen when the other person needs help.  All of my life I have had an open and honest relationship with both of my parents and because of this it has transformed into one with a great deal of trust. 

My appreciation for trust has changed over time tremendously for a variety of reasons.  When I was younger, the two people I truly trusted were my mom and dad.  Reflecting back on this, my two parents were the ones that provided for me so it only makes sense that I trusted them with my life.  As I grew older and became more familiar with my surroundings my circle of trust expanded to those that were in my everyday life or people I shared a memorable experience with.  I know it sounds strange to think about gaining trust through a memorable experience, but as a younger child I don’t think I fully understood what it meant to trust someone.  Another major development in this value came from my middle school years when I was exposed to more relationships in different social settings.  Middle school was an interesting period in regards to trust because my trust was misplaced with other students.  Although nothing serious happened from my misplaced trust, I learned a valuable lesson about how soon to trust other people.  Similarly to my experiences with the value compassion, high school was a really positive time for me because of the people I was surrounded by.  I had a great group of friends who trusted each other immensely as well as a girlfriend who helped show me not only how to trust others but to trust myself and the decisions I made.  I think now as a 20-year-old college student I have a good idea of who to trust and how being a trustworthy person is something to be proud of and strive for. 

In where ever people find themselves working, being able to trust those around them will be crucial for success of any kind.  Personally speaking, as a potential teacher I see myself needing to trust other teachers at my school, as well as my students to come to class ready to learn and complete assignments.  I think in this case a school is a symbol of trust as it stands for a education and learning. Simply put, trust is essential for success and more then ever is that true in the school system.