How to be Someone People Can Count On

What do you look for in the people you count on?

Here are five habits that I look for in someone I trust and respect—not just occasionally, but consistently.

1. Take Responsibility for Your Actions. Don’t blame the system, the timing or other people. Functional adults own their choices, make adjustments, and grow from their mistakes. Accountability isn’t about guilt—it is about growth.
2. Respect Other People’s Time, Space and Effort. Honor boundaries. Show up prepared. Don’t assume your urgency is someone else’s emergency. Functional adults recognize that other people’s lives are just as full and important as theirs.
3. Demonstrate a Strong Work Ethic. Don’t wait to be motivated—show up, do the work, and do it well. Pride in your effort, even when no one is watching, is the mark of someone who can be trusted.
4. Keep Your Life in Order. Manage your finances, your schedule, your hygiene, your home, and your health. It doesn’t have to be perfect—but if you don’t handle your own life, it eventually becomes someone else’s burden.
5. Don’t Confuse Feelings with Facts. Emotions are valid, but they don’t always tell the full truth. Functional adults can feel deeply and still respond wisely. They know when to sit with a feeling—and when to move forward with clarity and perspective.

These habits aren’t about being perfect. They’re about being someone who shows up, follows through and can be counted on.

Please comment and share the habits you look for in people you count on.