Watch TIME100 Impact Awards honoree Eric Nam's acceptance speech in Singapore.
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00:00 Good evening. Wow, this is pretty surreal. Whoo
00:03 Thank you so much
00:07 It is a distinct honor and a pleasure to be here accepting this very prestigious
00:12 Award alongside and in the footsteps of some of the most impactful incredible inspiring humans on this planet a
00:20 Little over ten years ago as Dan was saying I moved to Korea to try my hand at entertainment
00:26 I quit what was to be a respectable strategic consulting job
00:30 in New York
00:33 To become a singer much to the absolute horror of my parents. I
00:38 Was nervous but elated to trade Excel sheets and corporate grind for music videos albums
00:45 Concerts and TV shows around the world. I don't know why I keep looking over here
00:53 How we're building a career in an entertainment has been anything but easy it has been a road full of
00:58 Jarring surprises with the highest of highs like this, but also some of the lowest of lows
01:04 Earlier on in my career when I was asked about getting help for anxiety panic attacks and forms of depression as Dan mentioned
01:12 I was told that I would risk and damage my flourishing career
01:15 The lack of professional support and care ultimately manifested in painful
01:20 Ailments that left me in a vicious cycle of both physical and mental
01:23 poor physical and mental health
01:26 Fast forward to today and I am receiving a time 100 impact award
01:31 Which is pretty wild for being open and honest about something that I believe we can all be very open and honest about our mental health
01:39 Mental health is at the beginning and it is at the end of everything that we are
01:43 It affects every single person on this planet
01:47 It affects how we see ourselves how we present ourselves and thus how we build careers and our relationships
01:54 Mental health affects how we think how we feel how we act how we love and how we are
02:00 Yet for some reason this thing that is at the core of every single person on this planet
02:05 continues to be taboo and while progress has been made we must continue to work together and
02:12 Improve and normalize our approaches to dealing with mental health
02:17 my
02:18 tiny small contribution to this conversation outside of my songs that
02:23 Regularly touch upon the subject is a platform called mindset by dive studios
02:28 Which with the help of my incredible team and my brothers Eddie and Brian is?
02:32 Grounded in honesty with my struggles and those of my peers
02:37 Mindset has grown into a community where individuals can safely and positively discuss their mental health journeys
02:43 Find resources and feel heard and seen we have actors musicians
02:47 Student athletes and incredible people sharing stories that are the most vulnerable
02:52 However, we do not all need to create platforms
02:55 you do not need to be musicians CEOs actors or public figures to create impact as
03:00 Cliche and as simple as it may sound being and embracing our best and most authentic
03:06 Selves with all of our beauty and our flaws is where we can begin
03:11 It should be with
03:13 Kindness and with honesty and with grace even though sometimes it may feel very impossible
03:19 That we can remember and encourage ourselves to be perfectly imperfect
03:23 So to me this time 100 impact award is an affirmation that being who you are and who I am is enough
03:30 It is a reminder that it is okay not to be okay
03:33 So thank you time for this incredible honor and for encouraging me the world and all of us to be just the way we are
03:41 Thank you very much.
03:42 [applause]
03:42 [APPLAUSE]