Loyalty Day is an American holiday celebrated on May 1. It is meant to be a day for citizens (and those who are soon-to-be) to reaffirm their loyalty to the United States. It also serves as a day to be reminded of the heritage of the American freedom. Now, we’re not talking about Loyalty Day in the national pride sense around here. We’re talking loyalty to other people, people we love, people we may have wronged.
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Trust is a hugely important aspect of relationships and, when it’s broken, it can be hard to earn back. In honor of the loyalty between friends, lovers, and family, we’re giving you 12 ways to earn back trust and reestablish the sense of loyalty that is oh so necessary in life.
Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none. —William Shakespeare
1. Admit you were wrong. Saying that you wronged your loved one aloud can be a great step in regaining his or her trust. If he or she knows that you know you messed up, you have a foundation to reestablish an honest connection.
2. Be patient and continue to be a good friend even when you’re efforts are rebuffed. It can take days, months, even years for someone to forgive you and regain trust in you. Be patient and don’t give up if the relationship is worth it to you!
3. Change your behavior in noticeable ways. Only a fool would trust a person who appears to have not changed their ways. So… change your ways!
4. Always be truthful. Work on being honest in every aspect of life. Embrace truthfulness and honesty and it will be noticed by those around you.
5. Don’t air your dirty laundry—keep your issues private. Exercise discretion in what you share about yourself and others in your life. Gossip backfires, especially if it’s about people directly involved in your life.
6. Take a good, hard look at yourself and what you did to lose trust. Figure out exactly where the lie or deception began and examine the repercussions so that you’ll be less likely to make the same mistake ever again.
7. Be consistent and reliable. People who are worthy of trust show up when they say they will and deliver what they’ve promised. Be one of those people.
8. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. That whole ‘be consistent and reliable’ thing can’t happen if you’re creating unrealistic expectations of yourself. Make only the promises you know you’ll be able to follow through on.
9. Little things count—do nice, thoughtful favors. Be sweet. Be kind. Be gracious.
10. Respect yourself and others. Showing respect to others and yourself by having (and honoring) good boundaries will serve you well. You’ll find people have more respect for you if you show them how much you respect yourself.
11. Be an open book. If asked a question, answer honestly. If people know they can count on you to divulge the truth, even when uncomfortable, they’ll trust you.
12. Talk it through. When all else fails and you’re still dying to get that trust back, talk it out. Explain yourself and the errors of your ways and listen to the person you’ve hurt. Together, perhaps you can create a custom plan for you to earn back that trust.
