My 2020 Recap: Highlights, Lessons Learned, Growth, + More
2020 has been A YEAR! From the global pandemic to social injustice to losing so many icons, public figures, friends & family members, I think we can all agree that we want hands with 2020. Somehow through all of the negatives that 2020 has brought, we have al experienced positives from this year. Whether we realize it or not, 2020 has taught us all how to be more patient, strong, creative & loving. It has prepared us for the blessings we are about to experience & secure in 2021. With all of that being said, I wanted to recap on my top 5 moments of 2020 - personally, professionally, mentally, emotionally:
Hosting My First Speaking Engagement
Two things that I am passionate about are skincare and supporting my friends. In October 2020, I had the pleasure of having my first speaking engagement with my friend Fatima’s brand, Moussou Beauty - virtually of course lol. We spoke about the importance of skin care, stigmas about black skin care & my transparency with my acne journey. I had so much fun sharing the skincare knowledge that I had and helping our audiences gain a more clear understanding of skincare expectations - especially when it comes to caring for black skin. The Instagram Live is still available if you would like to view it, click here!
At the beginning of Q3 2020, a group of girlfriends and I had a coaching session with a social media strategist. One of my biggest takeaways was that we can’t control any of these social media platforms. Therefore, if they decide to close down their site on any given day, we lose everything. This was always been a thought that I have had, but I never took action on it. Immediately after that coaching session, I started working on creating my website. I told myself that by the end of Q3 2020, I wanted my website to be up and running. In true Kensthetic fashion, it was done - ASAP lol. I launched my website to my audience on October 1, 2020 and received an immense amount of support.
Through my journey of creating my whole website on my own, I learned so many things about branding and the direction I want to take my personal brand. Here were some of my takeaways:
You want to build your own website or have whoever is building it teach you how to update it when you want/need to. One thing about me is that I do not like to depend on other people. I like to know how to do things on my own or teach myself how to so that things can get done on my timing.
Your website should be the hub for your brand. A viewer should be able to visit your website & see everything that you have to offer.
Treat your website the same way that you treat social media platforms because in a sense - this is your personalized social media platform. Update photos frequently, connect with your audience, provide refreshing content that will entice people to keep coming back.
I would encourage everyone - business owners, creatives, etc. to prioritize creating their own website. This should definitely be on your Q1 2021 to-do list. If you don’t have the capacity for this in the first quarter of the new year, at least purchase your domain so that you can ensure that you at least have that secured.
3. Switching Careers
At the end of 2019, I realized how unhappy I was at my previous job. I felt stuck, I wasn’t being challenged, I wasn’t doing work that I genuinely enjoyed. I made the decision to leave my job without any idea of what would be my next professional move. Two days after quitting my job, I secured a new job, which I genuinely enjoy. Not only was this a new job, but it was a new career for me too! A new career in an area that my bachelors degree was specialized in. I never expected to use this specialization but it’s crazy how life works! I am constantly challenged & work with amazing individuals. 2020 was my first full year working at my current job & I can say that this has been the best year for me in my professional career. I share this because I encourage you all to always remember what your professional expectations & goals are. When it comes to the workforce, I want to work for a company with great values, supports my community, has great employees, provides good benefits & be a place where I can learn and grow. If you ever feel as though you are compromising your expectations for a check, it is not the right place for you. You should never feel stuck, unhappy or undervalued at any job. You can watch the below video which I uploaded on my Youtube channel earlier this year explaining my transition.
4. Becoming More Confident in Myself
Whew Chile! Here’s a long one!
This is something that I don’t speak about often & people probably don’t expect. But at the beginning of 2020, I was going through a ton of changes in my life. Starting a new job, changes with my skin, changes with my hair, still transitioning from an unhealthy (or as folks say now - toxic) ‘entanglement’ lol. My life was just a hot mess at the beginning of 2020. However, I made it my business to ensure that throughout 2020 I built myself tf back up! Mentally, emotionally, physically, financially. I took charge of my life in all aspects.
My hair was in shambles y’all. I was so over the color in my hair but I also did not want to cut all my hair at once and be bald lol. So I told myself I would wear protective styles and allow my hair to grow out some before taking the leap and chopping the colored ends off - which I did in October 2020. It’s crazy how much of a difference a change in your hair can make in your life. But to me, it symbolized a new beginning. I always heard “a woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life” and always thought it was cliché. Girl - as soon as I cut my hair my life started to change in ways that I was not even expecting, in both positive & negative ways - but we’ll get to that in another episode of my life lol.
If you have been following me on socials, you know that 2020 has been a rollercoaster with my acne journey. My skin has been through it all this year but I feel like I finally have a handle on it and we’re in a good space now - internally & externally. My biggest take away from my acne journey in 2020 is that your diet has a huge impact on your skin. If you don’t fix your internal issues, you can’t expect to see external results.
The line “Focus on yourself queen” has been living rent-free in my head all 2020. For so long, I have been focused on others in my life and tend to not put myself first. 2020 was the first year that I prioritized myself, my happiness, my needs, my expectations & boy did it feel amazing! I was not only able to accomplish majority of my 2020 goals, but I was able to exceed them. I would highly recommend (10/10) to focus on yourself first. Stop focusing on man, relationship, etc. FOCUS ON YOURSELF FIRST! How can you expect to be good for anyone when you’re not even good for yourself?
At the beginning of 2020, I would smile just to smile but at the end of 2020 I can proudly say that I can feel my smile, internally & externally. The progression of the meaning of my smile has been a metaphor for so many things in my life. I think this is the reason why I smile so much in my pictures now lol. It’s just really crazy how much life can change within a year!
5. Growing My Social Community
In 2020, I have grown my social communities on every platform which I’m so happy about. Having an online presence to me is more than posting cute pictures and gaining followers. Having an online presence for me is all about the impact. The impact of executing the mission statement of my brand - sharing my perspective of beauty in all aspects of life & to encourage you all to do the same.
Growing my social community is of course the goal but it’s not my priority. My priority is connecting with as many people as possible. Whether that is done by people simply watching my content or engaging in personal conversations. I want to know each and everyone in my community by name & have a connection with each person.
The fact that in 2020, I was able to grow my social community so much & create so many great relationships was honestly awesome to me! I can’t wait to create more meaningful content in 2021 and connect with even more people!
So that’s it folks! Those were my top 5 lessons learned and highlights of 2020. It was kind of hard choosing only five highlights, so maybe I’ll do more for 2021 lol. I wanted to share this to encourage you all during this time while we are planning for 2021, setting our intentions and reflecting on the year that we have all had. This was also my last blog post of 2020! In 2021 I plan to be way more consistent with updating my website, giving you all more blog posts & sharing more of myself with you all via my website. I love you all & are wishing you all a happy, healthy, & safe New Year! 2021 is definitely not ready for all of the heat and pressure that we are going to apply AHKAYYYY!!! Make sure you all subscribe to my newsletter & check out the below Youtube video to learn more about my 2020!