Trust, but verify

Ronald Reagan talked about his negotiations with Mikhail Gorbachev. He had a simple, powerful summation: "Trust, but verify."

Same for all of us. When we meet new people or encounter new opportunities, start with trust, but don't be naive. Verify. Test. Observe.

If you always begin with skepticism, you risk missing out on great people and life-changing opportunities. But if you blindly trust without verification, you open yourself up to unnecessary pain.