HEY. HI. HELLO to my FIVE-YEAR Work Anniversary

You know how during job interviews they sometimes ask you that question “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” 

Well, I’ve been asked this question before and everytime I prepared a response specific to the career, job title or leadership status I was interviewing for. In reality (and I didn’t know this back then when I was being interviewed for my current job), my ‘next 5 years’ was not about any of those things. It was about MY personal and professional growth. And, what a 5 years it has been!

Contrary to my IG grid, my story is not always full of rainbows and butterflies...

REWIND BACK TO 5+ YEARS AGO —

I was probably at my lowest of lows. I was heartbroken from a 7 year relationship turned  ‘almost’ engagement ending. I had to sell my house and officially part ways with my ex. And, I was working at a digital marketing agency with poor leadership. I absolutely hated where I was at in life! I felt like a complete NO BODY and I felt STUCK in this sad reality.

At surface level, I held my shit together and slapped a smile on my face as if nothing was wrong because I knew that I wanted more for my life and that I needed a change in order to do better, find better, and ultimately be better. I am grateful to have earned a college education, reputable work experience, finances to put a roof above my head and I had a solid support system of friends and family who helped me stay optimistic throughout the shit storm I was going through. Trying to get through this was difficult, and being newly single didn’t always help because at times, I’d feel really sad, lonely and down on myself.

I always believed that finding success and happiness was the best kind of come back and that belief motivated me to not only find a better job, but also to chase new experiences, new beginnings and new friends. I wanted to feel inspired, empowered, and heard. I wanted to find a new tribe of people who could help me reach my full potential. My goal was never to be perfect….my goal was simply to be better, more successful and to be happy.

With my house sold and my ex in the rear view mirror, I was ready to start new. Thanks to social media, I found a career opportunity in marketing at a live event company, and I moved into a new apartment in a new city. (Condensed time frame, obviously.  But, you get the point. I’m moving on up!)

My new beginnings were fresh and my new career threw me into the exciting life of the live entertainment industry.  But, more importantly, it introduced me to two of my biggest life mentors, @MiaTinari and @SamBrown. These are two people I bonded with from the moment I met them. I really looked up to them and I was impressed by what they achieved in their personal and professional lives. They encouraged me to believe in myself and to stand up, speak up and be heard. They helped me build confidence in my work skills so I can navigate and understand my career path better. They worked with me on identifying my strengths and weaknesses so I could be better and more present — not just for me but for others as well, and they challenged and pushed me to grow in areas where I needed further development. In all, they showed me how to work hard, use my voice, be proud of my achievements, support and shine light on others and always be humble. Many times they believed in me MORE than I believed in myself. I think I’ve finally realized that sometimes it takes having mentors like that — people who truly want what’s best for you and believe in you — for YOU to believe in YOU, too. And, that’s the type of people I want to surround myself with and have part of my tribe. 

As the time passed and I was approaching my four year work anniversary, I can honestly say that I’ve learned to appreciate my expertise in marketing and feel comfortable with sharing my experiences and owning my influence. It took many life hardships and building my new tribe to empower me to believe in myself and feel confident that I AM SOMEBODY. I am my own advocate. I am my greatest supporter. As I accepted all of this, I changed my perspective and my relationship with work - I finally experienced first-hand what it’s like to fall in love with what you do, work with people who appreciate you and vice versa. After four years of getting comfortable with this new me, I was ready to head into 2020 with some real fire! I had my career growth and development plan all worked up, a promotion T’d up for Q1 (my four year anniversary all around the same time!!) and the sales pipeline was looking strong - I mean, the Biebs was going on tour!! The future felt bright…but, then the universe had other plans.

SO ABOUT LAST YEAR —

It goes without saying that 2020 sucked for every single person on the damn planet! In fact, that might be the only topic that every person on this planet would actually agree on. ANYWAY as the global pandemic played out, I watched friends and colleagues in all industries go completely off the grid. There were so many times that I was convinced that my job was even at risk. The fear of losing financial stability and job security was entirely unsettling and depressing, which made me feel all the goddamn feels. As I spiraled with these thoughts and fears, I began regressing and lost a lot of confidence in myself. But then, I started to realize that the only way I was able to ‘get over’ my feelings and stop myself from overthinking every single thing was for me to RANT ABOUT IT.

So, I did. I turned to my tribe and I ranted A LOT; purging all of my thoughts, feelings, concerns, uncertainties. They listened. They showed up and helped me remember that it’s ok to feel all the feels, to express myself, to pause and to breathe. They encouraged me to be there for others in whatever capacity worked for me and others. They gently reminded me that, ‘this too shall pass’, that we are all in ‘this’ together, and that persevering through tough times helps build character, integrity and trust. 

FAST FORWARD TO TODAY —  

It’s my five year work anniversary. 

It’s been a wild and crazy chapter of my life, but damn, it was so memorable. After reading this RANT, you might be wondering — how would KP answer the question “where do you see yourself in 5 years” today?

My answer is that my job (and my job title) does not define who I am or where I want to be in life. I define me. I put in the work, I show up and I surround myself with solid, honest, good-charactered people - MY TRIBE. I don’t know what the future will hold or where I will end up, but I do know that I am so proud of how far I’ve come. With the amount of self awareness, personal and professional growth that I have gained, I am ready to take on the next 5 years, and I’m optimistic about all of the opportunities ahead.

RANT OVER.