Trust is the basis and foundation of every key relationship you will ever experience in your life.

Decisions are made, partnerships solidified, and long term commitments are forged all based on one element: trust.

Whether or not you can trust a person is a signal that comes through your soul loud and clear. The only question is whether or not you will chose to listen to the guiding of your instincts or stray away and make your decision based on external elements.

Since decision-making is the ground upon which the path you experience in life stands, it is critical for you to identify a reliable method of measuring the level of trust you can allocate to different individuals in your life.

Often, when we are standing in the middle of a situation, particularly personally devastating situations such as the death of a loved one, a car accident, or a legal dispute, it is very difficult to step out of the moment and look at things from a subjective viewpoint. Therefore, it is often helpful to have some sort of system in place for objectively evaluating your options and making the right decision for your life.

Here are the Five Basic Rules on “How to Know When You Can Trust Someone” from an article in Yahoo! Contributor Network by S.E. Jones:

Rule # 1 – When the stakes are small. In general, the higher the stakes the fewer people you can trust. Say for example you win ten million dollars, how many people would you trust to hold on to it for you for awhile? On the other hand, you’d probably have no trouble letting most anyone you know hold onto a one dollar bill for you.

Rule# 2 – When a possible positive outcome, far outweighs a negative result. Or in other words, if you go with your gut and trust someone with your heart, for example, the good you will possibly get over many years far outweighs the probable loneliness you’d feel should you never trust anyone with your heart.

Rule #3 – When there are rules protecting you. For example, most people nowadays trust their bank to keep their money safe. Granted we all know the bank is backed by the Federal Government, but that only helps us believe our trust in the bank is well founded. This idea can work in other areas too. Say for example you are considering investing your money with someone – are you willing to research the laws intended to protect you should the person turn out to be unworthy of your trust?

Rule #4 – When you’re sure you can live with a betrayal. You may have a best friend you trust with most of your secrets, but you may have some secrets you’d never share even with them. This is because no matter how good a friendship, there is always the possibility of betrayal, regardless of the reason or circumstance. This is why you should never divulge a secret to anyone unless you’re willing to live with the repercussions of a betrayal.

Rule #5 – When a person has demonstrated over a very long period of time they can be trusted. Not just with you, but with everyone else in their life. For example, if your husband (or wife) has never given you, your children, his parents, in-laws, siblings or anyone else any reason to not trust him, then the odds are very good you can trust him as well. Of course, there is always the chance extenuating circumstances may arise which might tempt and lead him astray, and things might blow up on all of you, but they probably won’t, right? And as was written in the beginning, in this life, you have to trust someone, at some point. You might as well make that person the one who is supposed to be the most important to you.

Rule number five is really the most important of all the rules cited. The easiest time to trust a person is when that person has demonstrated the ability of trustworthiness. In the area of legal defense, trust is, essentially, the one and only requirement for selecting an attorney to represent you in your case.

The Richard Harris Law firm has been building trust with clients and winning victories for families for over thirty years. We have built a repertoire of relationships that embody our trustworthiness and continue to prove our character again and again. To begin the first stage of exploring your ability to trust the Richard Harris Law Firm with your legal needs, visit our website where you can review hundreds of articles and videos that answer your questions, quiet your fears, and help you make the best decision you can make regarding the selection of your attorney.

Watch this inspiring video on how Richard Harris Law Firm feels about trust: