Happy Birthday to ME!
I’m officially 24 and have rotated around the sun another 365 days. I am so happy to have made it this far and to see another year. Halfway into 23 I got nervous about turning 24 because I was like omg I’m like REALLY really in my twenties now. I was scared to continue getting older. Then I started getting so excited about it because I’d rather be a year older than 6 feet under. It’s such a blessing to grow and to get older and to still be on Earth to learn more about the world. I keep learning about myself each and every day. With this year especially, I have so much respect, pride, and amazement for myself and coming out on the other side of some difficult personal challenges and being stronger, wiser, and smarter.
To tell you the truth, the start of 23 was rocky. I was grieving all types of situations. Death of a close family member. The end of an important relationship of mine. Two things I had not yet experienced and an enormous amount of pain that I couldn’t wait for it to be over. I felt like if this was what life had to offer, pain, hurt, rejection, insecurity…how would I ever feel secure again? Why does something that feels this bad even exist? My goal was that in one year when I turned 24, I would come out on the other side. If this was rock bottom, then the only way to go was up. That’s why this birthday is so important to me. It signals that I did the work. I took life’s ugliest hardships and went through the process of dealing with the emotions, working through them, and now coming out with a whole new set of emotional skills and capacity. I know that I can deal with tough situations and that they won’t break me.
I look forward to this fresh new year as a way to revisit the goals I have for myself, refine them, and even explore new opportunities. One thing I’ve learned is to not get overwhelmed with the endless possibilities and realities of some things not going as planned but to reset and think of something else. Everything will be okay so enjoy the ride! Me being a good person and showing up as myself on this Earth is already enough.
And now for the fun…
I saw Queen Bey do a similar post when she turned 37 this year with a vault of photos throughout the year.
So below you’ll find some hopefully never before seen pics of my year of 23. It’s been real. But 24 I’m ready for you more than ever! Here I am at 24, feeling and looking amazing!
At 23
I started going to the gym twice a week. Lifting weights. Body conditioning. Love my body.
Launched a digital marketing company, Dai of Social, booked my first marketing consultation
Visited the Carribean, South America, and Asia for the first time!
I went to Cuba and it became one of the most liberating experiences of my life so far. In the complete present. Not placing my value on being productive. Just living.
Binge watched Game of Thrones. I was almost gonna give up but y’all had me in the 3rd season.
DYED MY NATURAL HAIR. Hello blonde!
I finally visited New York. Can I live there? Lol
Consistently journaled. Starting to write down 5 things I’m grateful for before going to bed.
Found a black woman therapist #BlackMentalHealthMatters
Stayed in Vegas for way too long haha had fun though
Visited South America for the first time, solo trip in Colombia
Got focused with blogging and my goals as an entrepreneur
Went to AfroTech 2019
And lived it up in Thailand!
As always,
