When I first joined the monastery I thought I had to be a cookie-cutter-perfect monk. It was very frustrating because I felt like I couldn't be myself. I went to an old wise monk and listed my grievances about feeling fake. He said to me, "Who told you to be this cookie-cutter monk?" I said, "Well no one, I just thought I had to try and be the ideal perfect monk." He said, "You just need to be yourself, with your flaws, insecurities, and your baggage. Being a monk is trying to be better today than you were yesterday." This made me realize that being authentic is being myself. When you get to know people and you're trying to be authentic, you should let people in slowly, have boundaries, be yourself slowly, like peeling the layers off of an onion. Try this and your relationships will improve. https://MonkMindset.com