Ryan Tan

I have a great support system around me and I often get everything i need to succeed. This leads to the main thing that holds me back from doing my best, myself. As an INFP, I can be deeply motivated by my personal beliefs and concerned with my personal values as well. I have an issue with not accepting compliments from others if I don't feel that what I did was an achievement. This sets me back as I am too hard on myself and almost never satisfied with my work. This trait can be a double-edged sword because as much as it can set me back, it also motivates me to try harder in life, making me take more risks. Without this type of risk, I probably wouldn’t have achieved anything I have right now or be truly satisfied with myself.

I add value by being a reliable person for those around me. I try to be a reliable group member and friend. My desire to be a reliable person stems from my 9 core values and my MBTI. As someone who is perceiving, I can adapt to change better than others and provide them with help when required. If someone is unable to finish the work, I can pick up the slack. This has happened multiple times throughout my years at Sheridan. Being someone who is reliable makes me feel good because I like feeling like people can rely on me when they need help. My friends see this trait often, whether it is for video games or just being someone to talk with.

Based on my MBTI, my personality trait is feeling, which means I make decisions based on emotions, values, and other people’s needs over logic. When making decisions, I choose to follow my beliefs and principles rather than doing what is textbook. I will take the time to acknowledge my own emotions with other people in mind and balance emotions and logic. If I am ever in doubt about anything, I will trust my instinct as I truly believe it will guide me in the right way.

I find myself to be very curious as a person who loves to explore different hobbies. My future goal is to be good at everything. This can be from being good at sports, having unique skills (knitting, solving Rubik’s cubes, etc.), learning new languages, being good at games, etc. As someone with a growth mindset, I always try to keep myself busy with learning new skills or striving to improve in the current skills I know. 

I recently bought a dart board and searched for many videos on how to play darts. Within 2 weeks, I learned how to play darts and became a lot better at it. I am nowhere near someone who is a pro, but on a personal level, I am satisfied with my ability. I plan on continuing my practices on darts as I really enjoy it.

Over the past 4 years, I feel like I started developing more extrovert traits but still rely on my introverted ones. For example, I gain energy when hanging out with friends, but if we hang out for too long or too much I will be mentally and physically drained. Some activities that give me energy are going out with friends, playing video games, listening to music, and going for walks.

There are many ways to effectively communicate with me. As an introvert, I appreciate people who actively listen, show respect, respect my need for space, avoid small talk, act as if we are equal, and reach out to me and show support. I need the people around me to know that if I deny their offers to hang out it is not because I do not want to, but it is because I feel too drained. Another factor is when I communicate with others, I need it to be clear and organized because if it isn’t, it stresses me out. One example to effectively communicate with me is when we talk, I must feel that you actually care and are not just physically there.