It appears that most of us are reluctant to reveal our full selves - in social settings, in professional settings, or in new situations. As we delved deeper to understand why, here is what emerged: fear of rejection, fear of leaving ourselves vulnerable and being seen for our imperfections, fear of being judged (or worse, ridiculed), fear of not belonging and being ostracized.

I never met my real grandfather. My dad was the oldest of three boys. He was six when his father died, at 32 years old, of a brain tumour. My grandmother was left with three children under the age of six, no skills to speak...