Responsibility, not caution, is what earns trust. Imagine two neighbors each ask to borrow a tool from you. One neighbor is extremely cautious with your tools, definitely beyond a reasonable amount. But accidents happen no matter how cautious you are, and one time this neighbor broke a power tool he borrowed. Because of his claims of being extremely cautious, however, he claimed that the accident “wasn’t his fault” – and therefore he should have no obligation to replace your tool.
The other neighbor uses tools in the normal way. Over the years, he’s broken three of your tools; each time unintentionally of course, but these things happen. He replaced each one immediately with an equivalent or better model, without having to be asked, and delivered them to you promptly, always with a small extra token of gratitude & apology, like a meal or a six-pack or something.
Which neighbor do you actually want to lend the tools to?
It’s not about being cautious. It’s about being responsible. Accidents happen that are nobody’s fault, but they’re still someone’s responsibility. If you take the responsibility along with whatever favors you ask, you’ll find your font of favors will always be full. And if you don’t, it runs dry quickly, no matter how “careful” you are.
The Opportunity Machine 