I’m preparing to celebrate another new season in a few days. It is my birthday and I have the distinct pleasure of being born under the astrological sign of Libra. Represented by the scales, I consider my sign to reflect the perfect imbalance versus the perfect balance. Nothing is ever quite perfect. The acceptance of this as fact affords me the opportunity to consistently stretch myself, while gently accepting the path when situations do not go my way.
This birthday season I’ll be navigating the completion of my personal #YearOfBecoming. As the story goes, after I completed reading Shonda Rhimes Year Of Yes, I became obsessed with saying yes to myself. I considered it a gift to myself. And what better way to say yes to me than on my birthday. The hashtag #YearOf anchors my visual storytelling on social media when I believe I have experienced a moment aligned in my season. The identification of the season itself is way less superficial. It’s spiritual. It’s divine. It’s the culmination of prayers and the Holy Spirit, aligned in a co conspiracy with God and my angels. The original objective was to find a way to support my intentions and goals.
That first #YearOfYes was symbolic and full of achievement. From a milestone birthday, to my grad school graduation, to my son’s 5th birthday – I became to appreciate and say yes to life itself. As each year passed, the seasons represented growth – #YearOfSurrender, #YearOfTransition, #YearOfTransformation and my current #YearOfBecoming. Ironically, this year I was inspired again by another great read, Becoming by Michelle Obama. The journey to becoming who we are destined be, in many instances, is fueled by life-long curiosity. And this season for me was aspirational, inspirational and revelatory between October 2019 and October 2020.
The season kicked off with me fulfilling a professional aspiration I spent the prior seasons working to achieve – I became a senior executive at a major media company. Navigating the corporate ladder was an intention I was keen on accomplishing. After eight interviews and one pitch presentation over the course of three months, I landed the gig. Becoming an executive was a major personal and professional accomplishment. I was highly motivated and it continued. I knew I needed to stretch and challenge myself professionally and I had found a leader who was going to help me do that. This awareness of consistently pushing through becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable, while navigating the grey space versus the black and white absolutes that served me for years prior. That journey continues.
In my #YearOfBecoming, I began seeking new ways to inspire myself – inclusive of committing to a much more consistent workout regime. For quite a while, working out was an aspirational goal. I’m all in, then I’m all-out. This year I can definitely say I am proud to have maintained and stuck with it. I had to pivot in quarantine, but I kept moving – walking for miles, and often evoking my conversations with God while admiring the beauty of nature in my neighborhood. I even incorporated a new adventure, including biking, all a part of becoming who I am designed to be – committed, driven and purposeful.
Considering the obvious pandemic and racial reckoning we are all experiencing at this collective tipping point in our society, this has clearly become a revelatory anchor of my season. It was during the summer months it was further revealed to me, quite shockingly, that I had a fear of heights. I’ve been on airplanes – no problem. Roller coasters (with my eyes closed), no problem. Add I have desired to zip line for the longest time. It wasn’t until I had the opportunity to zip line as I navigated an outdoor obstacle course where all of this became a problem all at once. Fear can be paralyzing or motivating. Experiencing both simultaneously was a moment I won’t soon forget.
I was fully aware that I was safe in the harness to navigate through trees and high wires in the adventure park. Balancing and pushing forward is where we had a challenge. I feared letting go to move forward which was deeply symbolic for me. I considered where else have my fears of release existed?! Did I mention I was with my 9 year old and on a play date with my friend and her daughter? They all were patient with me as I continued to move across the beginner course to each next platform. There was lots of talking to myself – “you can do it.” “You’re more than a conqueror.” “Fear and faith can’t exist in the same space.” Then there was the moment where I reached the zip line and I was sweating so hard and talking out loud trying to convince myself I could indeed let go to fly across.
By this point, the kids had gone ahead with no fear or hesitation. My son was like “c’mon Mommy, you can do it.” I told him I was scared as he was preparing to move ahead. Then he shouted back, “faith over fear Mommy. It’s okay.” And so with a few more breaths, now I was completely motivated to let go and glide across, eyes wide open. The child I birthed, in his own youthful innocence was teaching me what I want him to continue to absorb. I was a tad awkward on the landing, but I didn’t drop or fall, arriving to a faint “good job Mommy. See I told you.” It was all so poetic and memorable.
As I think about what my #YearOfBecoming has represented for me, it’s been full of awareness check points on the road to becoming a better version of me – perfectly imbalanced and beautifully flawed. I’ve become more aware of celebrating my successes, versus criticizing my obstacles. I’ve become more accustomed to being patient with my process versus curious about why “it” didn’t move quicker. I actually became more aware of my abilities versus inabilities. I’ve become a whole woman who continues to desire stretching, growing and learning more about myself. I couldn’t think of a better opportunity to be consistent than in what I can control – myself and how I exist in the world.
KK is an energetic storyteller, creative marketer and servant leader with a kaleidoscope of professional pathways in music, print publishing and television. Currently, KK is a marketing executive at a major media company. Faith and family anchor KK’s ambitions, and she believes Luke 12:48 hold true, “from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” KK leverages her gifts, talents and abilities in support of advancing others, particularly in motivating her 9 year old son CMK.
Passionate about education and inclusion, KK is a graduate of New York University with a MS, Integrated Marketing and she supports her undergrad alma-mater Wesleyan University with dual, alumni volunteer leadership roles. As a Trustee on the Oliver Scholars board, preparing high-achieving African-American and Latino students for academic success is a priority. Through her writing and in her relationships, KK continues to unpack and explore life transformations the only way she knows how – with unconditional love, raw honesty and a touch of humor.