How Do We Define Trust?

What’s the formula for trust?

According to, Brene Brown (@brenebrown). leading shame and empathy researcher, the acronym “BRAVING” can be helpful in determining whether or not someone is exhibiting qualities worthy of trust.

Here’s a little breakdown on each of the qualities in BRAVING:

B: Boundaries-does the person respect your boundaries, can they take “no” for an answer, do they listen and respect your requests?
R: Reliable-when they say they’re going to do something, do they consistently do it?
A: Accountable-if they mess up, do they ‘fess up and own it, apologize for it, and attempt to make amends?
V: Vault-do they keep your personal information secret, aka they are not gossiping about you....OR OTHERS (if they gossip to you about others, there’s a good chances they’d gossip ABOUT YOU to others!)
I: Integrity- do they demonstrate consistent integrity, meaning they are honest and have strong morals.
N: Non-judgmental-they are kind and understanding, maybe open-minded, and not quick to judge you OR OTHERS.
G: Generous assumption-they tend to be able to give you the benefit of the doubt! Meaning they understand we’re all human and that you probably mean well most of the time. They think the best of you.

How well do the people in your life stand up to these measures of trust? How well do YOU embody these traits to your relationships?? If you’re noticing that some important relationships in your life are coming up short in these categories, it may be wise to rethink the level of trust you’re allowing in such a relationship!