I’m a pretty introspective human being. Those who know me best know that I spend a great deal of time searching my spirit, figuring out my idiosyncrasies and inclinations, and working to express that with complete honesty. It’s an ENFP thing, I’m told, but I am generally preoccupied with finding my authentic self.
As a result of this trait, however, I’ve found I can be a bit of a shock to new friends and acquaintances. I share relatively vulnerable aspects of my story early in my friendships, perhaps in an effort to ground them more quickly, and I have little trouble figuring out how I feel about most issues. (As with all humans, I struggle to share my deepest vulnerabilities, but Brené Brown and I are working on it.)
It should come as little surprise, then, that – at the GLACUHO annual conference this past November – I opted to attend a program about finding and honing the authentic self. At the beginning of said presentation, we were asked to fill out an introspective series of thoughts. What poured out of me was telling, and it was also a complete surprise, a testament to the beautiful complication of human beings.
Today, amidst a busy and allergy-laden Wednesday, I opened an old padfolio to find this slip of paper. In an effort to be more vulnerable, I share my responses here:
michael king 