I’ve been watching the Internet explosion of interest surrounding the news that prominent domain hall of fame recipient, Sahar Sarid, has been charged with a number of serious crimes relating to mugshots.com. If you read the many articles and forum posts you would assume the trial has already happened and that he, along with his three associates are guilty…..

I find it really sad that in this day and age the lynch mob is alive and well as they leap into action to grab their burning torches and pitch forks by vilifying a man before the trial. I would remind everyone that Sahar IS innocent until his guilt HAS been proven in a court of law. All we know at this time are the charges and not the outcome.

I should also say that I find the business model surrounding mugshots.com to be unethical (and if proven, illegal) and one that I personally would not have anything to do with. That being said, under our legal system Sahar is granted the right of the presumption of innocence and his guilt must be proven.

Over the last several weeks I’ve been sharing with readers on the principles that have helped me in my life. If followed, I believe the principles of truth, trust and learning will assist you in your own decision making and help you grow as an individual. This article will cover the principle of communication, which is one that encompasses everything that I’ve shared so far….and in many respects is one of the most difficult.

There are many aspects to communication and the first one I will unpack is whether you should enter into a dialogue with a person or not. I believe that most of the time it’s important to keep the lines of communication open, even in the most difficult of circumstances but there are exceptions.

As I mentioned in a previous article I recently experienced a situation where the other person was immediately very aggressive in an email. It was a difficult email to respond to and required a very measured response that I had checked over by a number of people I respect before hitting the send button.

I find that in emotionally charged situations it’s often good to have someone else check over what you are communicating. It’s so easy to get caught up with your feelings and responding in a controlled manner can be difficult. If you find yourself in a difficult situation then make sure you get some advice from someone that is invested in your life. They will often provide a clearer insight to the situation than you can yourself.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been sharing in “Saturday Musings” a number of principles that I try to live my life by. The last two articles in this series cover the result of living a life of truth/trust and truth/learning. This article will address the topic of empowerment and why trust/learning are fundamental to everyone’s success.

At it’s core, trust has two aspects:
1.    Relationships – trust is all about developing strong relationships.
2.    Longevity – trust is also in it for the long-term.

What learning is all about is making sure we don’t continue to make the same mistakes with those all important relationships in our lives. Let’s face it, we’ve all made mistakes with relationships. Learning also has another sense to it that many people don’t consider……and that’s humility.

When you are truly trying to learn and strengthen your relationships you’re not worried about whether you are right. What you are seeking is understanding and this often requires that you suspend your own opinions in order to understand the other persons point of view.

Becoming enlightened is that “aha” moment when the penny drops as you perceive something that you were not aware of before. It’s often the power of these enlightened moments that drive innovation and entrepreneurship as individuals gain a glimpse of what could be rather than what is. So how do you become enlightened?

On the "Life Principles" diagram that I have been sharing with you over the past weeks enlightenment is the relationship between the truth and learning. You can not have enlightenment unless you are open to both these characteristics.

For example, at the core of the scientific method is the quest for truth. A scientist will not achieve enlightenment in their field of studies if they refuse to face what their data is showing them.

There’s a problem with this position though….we view the truth through our own set of filters. This means, one person may look at the data and see one thing and another person see something completely different. Does this mean the first person is wrong? Not at all……and this is where learning comes into play.

Learning is the foil to truth that provides the check and opens us up to the idea that there may be other answers to the problem we are trying to solve. Learning is all about possibilities and it acknowledges the fact that everyone can potentially contribute to the issue at hand.

I wanted to continue the series I’ve been writing about on what it means to conduct your life through principles. I hope you appreciate and value the openness of which I’m sharing and that you receive a benefit for your own life from reading these articles.

The previous articles in the series can be accessed from the following links:
Three Vital Aspects of the Truth
How to Develop Trust
The Power in a Learning Mindset
It’s All About Character

In this article I would like to start exploring the relationships between the three underpinning principles. If you wish to build strong relationships with others, then there is no better way of doing it by conducting yourself under the guidance of the principles of truth and trust.

Too many people expect to have great marriages and wonderful relationships with their children while conducting themselves in a manner that is contrary to a positive outcome. The key that unlocks the power of truth and trust is consistency.

I remember many years ago I had a disaster in one of my businesses. I ended up leaving to go to work at 5am and getting home at around 9pm each night. Our son Timothy was around eight years old at the time and one of his chores was to set the table for dinner each night.We’d talk on the phone and he used to ask me if I’d be home for dinner. Of course, I told him, “Yes”. The reality was that I didn’t make it and was inevitably caught up in all the things at work. Eventually he learned and stopped asking me the question.