Kidogo Vulnerable 2

My article last week seems to have struck a chord with many. So allow me to be like those movie makers who after stumbling on a blockbuster, just get lazy and produce slightly updated versions of it. I recently came across an old action movie that I enjoyed – Fast and Furious. Typical guy movie. I think I first watched it five years ago. I was surprised to find they have made up to, Fast and Furious 10. Yaani it was such a hit that the producers just keep tweaking them to make a newer version. Kweli if it ain’t broken why fix it?

This seems to have become a trend in the movie-making industry. I also love animations thanks to my baby sharks. We watched the new Lion King movie together. A few minutes into it I realized it was just the same story as the original. They had just added some special effects. So in line with the rest allow me to attempt my article this week as a continuation of last week’s story.

Most of the comments you guys made had one theme in common. The more vulnerable we are the more authentic we get. Of course for obvious reasons we need to be careful when and where to be vulnerable. I decided to walk my talk by attempting two tasks that I haven’t done before. Firstly, I displayed part of my wildlife photo collection at a mall for the first time. Add the fact that the mall was out of Nairobi. Nanyuki to be exact. My favourite town. To me, that was vulnerability at a new level. I have participated in photo expos previously, but never have I displayed my work long term in a busy mall out of town for the public to consider buying. In addition, I was lucky to display two images at a co-working space with cool vibes in the middle of Nanyuki town called the Binban.

Folks if you’ll be in Nanyuki this holiday season make sure to pass by Zeituni Crafts in Nanyuki mall and see the photos as you enjoy other good offerings at the mall. It’s truly a one-stop-shop. My vulnerability rewarded me with feel-good hormones. I feel validated that my work is worth putting out there and that’s grown my confidence. Go on folks. Show the world your gift. You never know how it will be received. That might just be the beginning of producing several versions of yourself because we can’t have enough of you. There’s a scripture I like in the Good Book that says, “your gift shall make room for you. It will bring you before kings, not obscure men.” I love that.

My second incident of vulnerability also happened in this town next to the mountain. No wonder my soul comes alive every time I’m there. Good things happen to me there. Weeks ago I applied to be a business mentor with a global organization looking for partners in this corner of the world. I got an email inviting me for an interview with them. Having been in business all my adult life, I have very little (more like none) experience in job interviews.

It was to be a two-hour interview. I wondered what we would be talking about for that long. I started getting nervous as time approached and had to call mummy shark for some wise counsel. She simply said, “be you”. It worked. I also recalled my wise mentor’s words. He once observed that when nervous we tend to speak faster than we normally would. For me, that is driven by the need to impress those I’m speaking to. I put myself under pressure to say many things within a short period thinking I’m elevating myself.  As a result, I don’t come out clearly. I end up saying more than I should hence distorting the message or killing it altogether. I hate the imposter feeling that follows thereafter. It’s punishment enough.

The time came for the interview and I decided to speak slowly and deliberately. Along the way, I’d catch myself picking up speed in my responses to the questions. I quickly press reset. We hear ourselves better when we speak slower, our listener gets the message too and we come across as confident and knowledgeable. I think that’s what happened because I passed the interview. Plus my inner spirit patted me on the back because I felt good at the end of the two hours.

I feel speaking slower brought me out more authentically and I was able to articulate my thoughts better. That is what gave me the pass I believe. We forget people are not fooled easily. Folks, from those two experiences in vulnerability I believe (or hope) that I encourage someone to also be vulnerable. Our best self surfaces much easier because we won’t be forcing round pegs to fit in square holes.

Be you. be vulnerable.

Should we have version three next week……