I could rant on all day about this, but I'll try not to. I think it's important to figure out what it is you want from a Master/Mistress and then only accept that. If you have trouble trusting a Master then break up and move on.

If the problem is you, (ie nobody will ever earn your trust) then just go for it. Take the plunge even if you are scared, (under the condition that you think you have found a good one, bad doms are a dime a dozen). It's better to have a heart broken in a thousand bits repeatedly than never. It's also very educational. It's good to get all those rose tinted teenage illusions of relationships banished from the system early. Maybe it isn't baggage. Maybe it's reality poking it's nasty finger on your forehead.

I've been involved with plenty of submissives and I could spend weeks putting them into carefully crafted categories. People are submissive of a large variety of reasons, (as are dominants) so it's very hard to come up with generalised sweeping advice that works for all subs. But being motivated by fear is always bad.