It's the generic term I use to describe my various bundles of expectations.

I tend to use it most often as a financial term. When speaking of people, I try to use "expectation" instead. I haven't yet (personally) come across a use of it that couldn't be replaced by some form of "expect" or "expectation".

trust is an odd thing for me, a balance between believing in my ability to deal with stuff...and my ability to choose people who will not be casual or irresponsible with my feelings. I don't see it as a tool very much, more like one of the incarnations of faith.

trust and love...hmm yeah I am learning about different facets of that. I can trust someone in one area and not in others. It feels like it's about knowing thier strengths and weaknesses. I might trust someone to not purposefully do hurtful things but that doesn't mean they won't cause me pain by hiding or running or whatever. I have learned that I can be very wrong about who I trust, though I can risk alot because I will survive whatever it is.

I have learned about myself that I want to be the fool in love and trust, in that I do not want to become become bitter or carry around bagage. I want to be light and trusting to people who are a good risk. Maybe that's a paradox, but I want to make good gambles and then jump off the cliff. I used to hold back so much not trusting people, but really I didn't trust myself to be able to handle a break in trust. But it isolated me. I struggled and found the ability to trust in my marriage and grew alot during those 9 years. Then after the break up of my marriage I had some time of feeling like I could do anything! I had survived one of my worst fears...and I felt strong and sure in myself and my ability to handle things. But I have to come back some and realize that while I can handle just about anything it takes energy and it does wear me down unnecessarily. I have to much to enjoy and to many responsiblities to myself and my sons to make bad risks. So I guess it's all about balance as everything seems to be.

I'm not exactly sure what it is, but it sounds creepy and dangerous and I want no part of it. heh. not really a joke.

Now isn't that interesting? My first thought AoL, when I read your post was, about trusting myself.

And there's SV, as always, with the enlightened view.. (And Melissa with the creepy dangerous view ;-) )

Yeah, you have to trust yourself first don't you? And, really, that's all we've got. By nature I am, I think, reasonably trusting with people. Perhaps that's because I have a fairly good sense of my own security and strength so, really, I trust myself to overcome anything that people throw at me.

The one place that I don't trust people much is financially. Don't ask me to buy into your snake oil factory. It isn't gonna work with me. And maybe, just maybe, that's because I don't trust myself very much with money and savings and judgement in financial matters.

Huh. Yet more food for thought!

What does it mean to you and how do you apply it in your life?

--I use trust to keep me grounded in the present moment. I trust that everything is happening exactly as it is meant to happen. So, i use it to be able to let go and enjoy life as it occurs. Werner Erhard said: "ride the horse in the direction that it is going". I trust in the direction that the present moment takes me.

What does it mean to you and how do you apply it in your life?

--I would say that maybe faith is an idea and trust is a tool. To trust. To be trusting. There is no to be faithing. Ideas, we have. Tools, we use. Again this implies present moment. Ideas can come from the past or be about in the future, but tools can only be used in the moment.

How does it connect to your emotions - especially in regards to love?

--tough question.... Trust vs. Mistrust is Ericksons First Stage of Psychosocial Development(birth to 1 year). We could spend our entire lives trying to figure out, or master, trust and love because it is an issue that relates to the very beginning of our lives and our deepest relationships when we were at our most vulnerable. For myself, I have decided that trust with relationship to love is more about my own need to feel secure and the jury is still out about whether, as an adult, it is a good idea to bring the idea of security to another person whom I love. I tend to, again, trust that everything happens for a reason and just love the crap out of whatever my lover brings to my life.

How have you built up trust for yourself and others?

--I have built up trust for myself by learning to listen carefully to my inner voice--maybe called intuition. I have built up trust for others the same way. I always know who I can and cannot trust, and with what, If I only just listen to myself.

my gut feeling says...

intuition.

I trust my intuition. I trust my trust in my trust. That doesn't sound very intuitive, does it?

words. What does trust mean to me: yup, intuition.
How do I apply my intuition in my life? I listen to my body. Body has intelligence. Body speaks, hopefully I am aware enough in the moment to listen. What is my body saying now?
How does my intuition connect to my emotions. How does the language my body is speaking connect to my emotions. A headache, I used to get those all the time: anger. A gut ache, again anger. Feeling cold, kidneys: fear. My eyes are watering: happy and sad. Galactic hum resonating throughin and throughout: grounded. Love?
To love, loving, ah good question. Intuition, and body is quiet all of a sudden. Mind wants to tell all kinds of stories about the noun love. Love is a verb. Okay, I love. What does that mean to me? I trust in loving? I trust in loving myself and others? I don't know. Listen.
How have I built up trust for myself and others? By listening. Listen. Shift happens. Listen. Listen.

Trust to me means believing in myself and my own skills. It means accepting my own decisions as reasonable and valid. It means allowing myself to be full and real and accepting that is ok.

It is both an idea and a tool. I use it as an idea to remind myself of choices and beliefs that I have. I use it as an idea for how to approach relationships. I use it as a tool for allowing myself space and freedom. It allows me to believe in the sincerity of myself and those around me.

It connects to my emotions by way of acceptance. I must trust that my feelings are real and valid and justified. For love, I simply have no way of proving it and must simply trust that it is real. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. But when I surrender to it fully I see myself in a space of trust and can love with an open heart.

I have built trust for myself through practice, surrender, acceptance, and much, much, much hard work and processing. I have built it for myself by clearing out the cobwebs of my life and my head. I have built it for others by seeing them as I wish to be seen. I have built it for others by accepting them as they are.

Trust is the potting soil in which all relationships (be they friendly or Romantic) take root. Without trust, nothing can grow.