In an interview with Authority Magazine in November 2024, Dr. Mykim Tran shared how being authentic and vulnerable can help you grow personally and professionally. A preview of the interview is below.
Let’s begin with a definition of terms so that each of us and our readers are on the same page. What exactly does being authentic mean?
Authenticity can be described in many terms, such as original, unique, or different. According to the literature on authenticity, it has four main components.
Authenticity is discovering and following your core beliefs and values, guiding you to make the right decisions.
Authenticity is about taking action in what you believe is right for you in the moment.
Authenticity is about using your passions and creativity to promote well-being for everyone and everything. Engaging with your passions and creativity is an expression of your human spirit.
Authenticity is when you are on a lifelong personal development journey to become a better version of yourself because authenticity has no destination.
What does being vulnerable mean? Can you explain?
Vulnerability is when you openly share your opinions and feelings without fear of judgment. You are also not afraid to share your positive and negative qualities and experiences with others. You do what is right for You. You are not scared of failure. You seek support to improve so you can move forward successfully.
From your experience or perspective, what are some of the common barriers that hold someone back from being authentic and vulnerable?
Lack of self-confidence: Often, individuals are afraid to be authentic because of doubts and lack of self-confidence. Being authentic means understanding yourself. However, as a human being, you are born not knowing who you are. It is only through learning and applying that you will increase your self-understanding. It is a learn-as-you-go process. There will be times when you might doubt yourself whether what you do is authentic or not because it is a learning process. That is why it takes self-confidence to believe that what you do and think at the moment is your authenticity. However, many people lack the self-confidence to trust themselves and their authenticity. This lack of self-confidence can also make it difficult for individuals to be vulnerable because they are afraid of judgment and do not know how to handle the criticism successfully, which prevents them from being vulnerable.
Not knowing how to block out external influences: External factors will try to influence you daily. If you do not know how to block them out and listen to your intuition, it will be difficult for you to be authentic and vulnerable. Even if you know your authenticity, external noises will influence you to act differently if you do not know how to block them out. Many individuals lack the proper guidance to look within themselves and make decisions. Therefore, they often rely on the outside to guide their decision-making. However, authenticity and vulnerability come from within.
Click here to access the full interview.
Comments