Pistanthrophobia

So, I learnt a new word today - Pistanthrophobia. Going by the dictionary - it means the fear of trusting people. It's mostly described as a disorder. I think I suffer from it.

Now, to be brutally honest - I have a hard time trusting people or as some say, letting my guard down. I think I've always been wary of trusting people, but only recently have I seen a spillover of this personality trait in my professional life. 

If you're a stickler for getting the job done, and getting it done well - then you can only delegate stuff to people whom you really tend to trust ; perhaps, people who have as much at stake as yourself. But that doesn't happen always. I mean it's a hierarchy. Some people have more at stake and some have less. And as responsibilities increase, you'll have a hard time believing that you'll be able to get everything done by yourself - if you can't find anybody trustworthy.

It then boils down to inculcating this habit of trusting people first and then giving them opportunities - instead of hoping them to prove their trustworthiness first. And this applies not only in the professional sphere - but also in your personal life. We never completely trust all our friends, do we? It's a little trickier with friends than with colleagues at office. There's no job to get done here. One needs to trust their intent.

I need to draw this to a close now. The only self corrective action that I can think of from this moment of introspection - is to start trusting people more often. Instead of asking: Why should I trust him/her? - I need to ask - Why shouldn't I trust him/her? Life would be incredibly easier(and simple, and less devious) if everyone around yourself could be trusted.

So, if you know me - then I'm going to trust you - I'm going to trust your abilities, I'm going to trust your intent, I'm going to trust your willingness to help - unless of course you give me a reason for doing otherwise.