12 Ways to Know If Someone Is Trustworthy and Honest
It’s hard to trust people when you’ve been betrayed before. You think anyone and everyone around you wants to hurt you, but that’s just your past speaking. If you truly want to know people’s intentions, you have to take a long, hard look at their actions. So here are a couple of habits that prove someone is trustworthy and honest.
They Keep Their Promises
A sincere person never backs down from their promises. Even if they made those promises long ago, a trustworthy and honest person will always strive to keep their promises. If they can’t, you’ll find this person immediately apologizing and explaining why they couldn’t. A dishonest person wouldn’t care if they broke their promises and would treat them lightly.
They Speak The Truth, Even When It’s Hard
Sometimes, hiding the truth is a better option because it saves most of us pain and humiliation. Most people wouldn’t try too hard to speak the truth because they’re afraid of being painted in a negative light. But an honest and sincere person will always put others’ interests before them and speak the truth, even if it means admonishing themselves.
They Admit Their Mistakes
Taking responsibility for one’s actions and actively striving to improve isn’t always the easiest step, yet a sincere person will still do it. Trustworthy and honest people worry more about hurting others, so they’ll take accountability and try to rectify their mistakes, often without even being asked to. If someone treats their mistakes lightly, you know they’re dishonest.
They Maintain Consistency
All people falter, but what makes them honest is consistency. If they’re still delivering on their promises, keeping up with their commitments, and holding true to themselves, it shows that they genuinely care about those around them and don’t want to hurt them. They’ll stay consistent as much as they can. If they can’t, they’ll offer an explanation before you even have to ask.
They Respect Confidentiality
A trustworthy person will never reveal your secrets, no matter how juicy they might seem. You’ll know you’re friends with an honest person when they respect confidentiality. Such people won’t probe you, try to pry information, or ask questions because they genuinely appreciate your boundaries and don’t want to cross them. They’ll stay respectful and silent even when presented with an appealing opportunity to reveal your secrets.
They Follow Through On Actions
Dishonest and unworthy people don’t really care enough about others to follow through on their actions. They’ll go about their days, not putting much effort into rectifying their mistakes, and even try to put you down because they don’t think they need to show remorse. However, honest people will follow through on their actions, even if they seem genuinely tricky.
They Are Transparent About Their Intentions
It’s easy to suspect everyone around us when we’re so used to being betrayed. However, honest people will be transparent about their intentions, even if it makes them look bad. For example, a person who frequently relies on you for money but is honest won’t hide their intentions. They’ll tell you plain as day. Although it’s just a minor example, it goes to show that honest and trustworthy people care more about those around them than themselves.
They Value Fairness
Let’s be honest here: most of us are tempted to save our necks over others’. And yet, honest and sincere people will always root for fairness, even if it means they picked the short straw. To such sincere people, fairness doesn’t mean they don’t get picked. It means everyone gets an equal chance without any discrimination, so they won’t go against it.
They Give Constructive Feedback
It’s impossible to go on with your life and not be criticized. However, actual criticism and constructive feedback are different. An insincere person would jump at the chance to criticize others because they take great joy in the misery and pain of others. On the other hand, an honest person will point out things you need to address or change, but without painting them negatively and offering you some advice and guidance.
They Avoid Gossiping
It’s easy to gossip, but refraining from talking about anything when people all around you are indulging in gossip makes you an honest and sincere person. Most dishonest and untrustworthy people won’t hesitate to gossip. They’ll even talk behind your back because it’s easy entertainment. However, a genuine and honest person will always avoid gossip and even try to stop others.
They Respect Others’ Boundaries
Sometimes, the boundaries people impose on us and themselves don’t really make sense. But how we act upon them defines who we are. An insincere person regularly crosses boundaries and messes up because they takes boundaries and personal limits unseriously. On the other hand, a sincere and trustworthy person won’t cross boundaries even when they find them silly.
They Own Up To Past Dishonesty
Owning up to past mistakes isn’t the easiest thing, and yet you’ll still find an honest person doing it. It’s not only accepting old mistakes. Sincere people will even own up to actions that could potentially risk their reputation and social standing. This isn’t because they’re trying to look good in your eyes but because they don’t think it’s fair to portray honesty when the truth could be hypocritical.
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Every marriage goes through stress, but noticing the signs early can really help. If you ignore these issues, they can turn into bigger problems that are harder to solve. Being aware of these common stress factors can help you keep your relationship strong before things get worse.
This article was first published at Rbitaliablog.
