Some people are closed off through deception. They have a habit of lying to tell everyone around them what they think they want to hear. This closes them off completely, since nobody knows who they really are. To be open, do your best to be honest about yourself and your opinions.  Speak your mind, but try not to do it in a hurtful way. Being negative can also make you seem less open. For example, if you dislike a band, you might say "They're not my thing" instead of "They're horrible." Remember that sometimes it's appropriate to be tactful, especially when it comes to people you're close to but not by choice, such as family and coworkers. Keep your feelings about controversial topics vague if you're among people who may think them offensive. Don't be afraid to show your authentic self. Being an open person means keeping up open communication with people you care about. If something is on your mind, talk to a friend or loved one about it.  Let people know when something is bothering you. It's sometimes tempting to "go with the flow," but speaking up is often the only way to improve a situation. Avoid suppressing your emotions, which can be dangerous to both your emotional health and to the relationship you may be trying to preserve. Be open with how you feel and let that extend to your facial expressions. People who are more expressive tend to be perceived as more likable and trustworthy. In order to really be open and be yourself, you must allow yourself to be vulnerable. This means being able to reveal your fears, desires, and beliefs to both yourself and others, despite any fear of being judged or rejected. While being vulnerable may be scary at first, it will ultimately help you form deeper connections with others and feel more free to be yourself.For example, being vulnerable might mean opening up to a friend about a painful experience in your past, or telling your significant other that you want them to say “I love you” more often. Self-disclosure builds trust because, in a way, you make yourself a little vulnerable to the other person. Because of this, self-disclosure can be very difficult, especially for people who have been hurt in the past. If you have trouble with self-disclosure, try going slowly at first before becoming very open.  Start by being open about things few adults would judge you about. If you dislike a movie you just saw, say so. If a friend asks you what type of music you like, feel free to share. Once you've gotten used to being open about surface matters, you can start talking about more personal topics. This includes things like your spirituality, political views, life philosophy, and personal feelings about others. For some, it may also include health problems, sexual orientation, and gender identity. For many people, it's normal to keep this type of self-disclosure to conversations with friends and family. For very serious intimate relationships, you may even choose to share painful things about your past. This form of self-disclosure can help heal past trauma. On the other hand, there is such a thing as being too open about yourself. Too much self-disclosure can be detrimental to your life or simply turn people off. Knowing when intimate self-disclosure is appropriate is mostly a gut feeling, but there are still a few things to keep in mind.  Always get to know people before disclosing any information you aren't comfortable with being public. Spending time with them is the best way to figure out whether or not they're trustworthy. Keep yourself on roughly equal footing. A simple way of gauging appropriate levels of self-disclosure is by paying attention to what the other person shares with you and matching it. Of course, if you stayed completely equal, you'd never move closer. Just be sure what you're sharing is only slightly more personal than what the other person has told you.  In general, it's a good idea to keep your self-disclosure at work at the surface level. This is especially important if you manage people. Some types of self-disclosure make others uncomfortable and your employees may jump to conclusions. If you disclosure certain things like your religious beliefs or political opinions, your employees may think they're being discriminated against. This hurts productivity and may even open your company up to a lawsuit.

Summary: Be honest. Let people know what you think. Let yourself be vulnerable. Practice self-disclosure more often. Know whom you should trust.


Decide if you want to become certified by the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) or the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators (NCBDE).  Both organizations are reputable and have nearly identical requirements.  The NCBDE certification is strictly focused on education.  The AADE’s Board Certified-Advanced Diabetes Management certification, however, allows you to not only educate patients with diabetes, but also to participate in research and mentoring, adjust medications, and treat diabetes symptoms and complications.  For some people, the choice may come down to how much money and time you wish to spend on getting certified. The AADE certification is more expensive and might require a longer time investment than NCBDE certification.  You do not need to obtain both types of certification, but it might improve your career opportunities. Relevant jobs include pharmacist, occupational or physical therapist, Dietitian, nurse, or other medical professional who provides diabetes self-management education (DSME) as part of their routine duties.  You might also qualify if you have an advanced degree in a health-related field or concentration.  DSME is defined as any activity by a healthcare professional that helps patients with diabetes understand and manage their condition.  For the NCBDE certification, you need at least two years’ experience in your field and at least 1,000 hours of  (DSME) experience.  You must have worked at least 40% of these hours (400 hours) within in the last year.  Certification with the AADE requires 500 practice hours over the course of the last four years.  NCBDE certification allows volunteer experience with a medical agency or health clinic to count toward your hourly total.  If you don’t work in the field but still want to obtain NCBDE certification, you must provide an official transcript of your advanced degree coursework and a copy of your academic degree.  The rest of your requirements are identical to a traditional applicant. While AADE certification has no continuing education requirement, the NCBDE certification does.  In addition to relevant work experience, you’ll need at least 15 clock hours (not credit hours) of continuing education within the two years prior to submitting your application.  These courses must be provided by an organization or institution approved by the NCBDE.  Unlike credit hours, clock hours are counted in a simple, linear way.  For instance, attending a class for two hours will earn you two clock hours. The American Medical Association, the American Diabetes Association, the American Association of Diabetes Educators, and similar organizations offer continuing education opportunities for diabetes educators. A full list of continuing education providers is available online at http://www.ncbde.org/currently_certified/recognized-provider-list/. Continuing education cannot involve volunteering, original research, poster sessions or exhibits, writing an article or book, or academic courses.  Acceptable continuing education activities include approved online programs, conferences, workshops, seminars, and independent study courses.
Summary: Choose the certification that is right for you. Obtain relevant work experience. Meet your continuing education requirements.