As Jim suggests, being naive and being trusting are not the same thing.
Being naive, or being a sheep, means not trusting yourself -- not trusting your own instincts, your own intuition, your own choices, and so relying other the instincts, intuition, and choices of other people. If you are not trusting yourself, then putting your faith in others is not so much trust as it is absolving yourself of responsibility.
Rose, can you see some way in your relationship (apartment, taxes) that you have been not trusting yourself, and giving your responsibility away? Probably not in the obvious "taking-care-of-myself" sense of the word responsibility, but in a more subtle, handing-over-your-power sense? What are you doing now to develop trust in yourself? It sounds like your coach gave you a bit of a wake-up call in this regard.
Bliss Sage, I would suggest being careful about taking pride in your naivete, because a lack of trust in yourself is a trait that predators seek out, and they can smell it a mile away. It's a downward spiral, because the more you get victimized, the more you feel like a victim, the more attractive you become to victimizers. Trust yourself and you break the pattern entirely.
Love,
Angela  |