2020 certainly has not been a walk in the park. january kicked off with the loss of kobe and gigi bryant (along with multiple other passengers) in a fatal plane crash. i can actually remember saying out loud that 2020 couldn’t get any worse. fast forward to march – a full blown pandemic had swept through not just the nation, but multiple continents. once closer to summer, more senseless killings of unarmed black people at the hands of police officers had sparked a revolution. revolutions are not always pretty. and just a week or so ago, we wrapped up the gnarliest presidential election to date. it would be easy for me to say that 2020 was the worst year of all time. but honestly speaking, that would be a lie.

2020 was certainly rough on a grander scale, but when i look at the lives of some of those nearest and dearest to me, 2020 has been a year of growth, new beginnings, stepping outside of comfort zones and pausing to be more reflective and grateful. amidst this pandemic, i have had multiple friends give birth to beautiful baby boys, several friends close on their first homes, many others became dog moms/dads (myself included), countless promotions at work, one of my very best friends got married to the love of her life yesterday, a couple have launched businesses, many have taken time to invest in their mental/emotional health/wellness and a ridiculous amount of other awesome things i know i am forgetting. one of the biggest shifts i have seen are people being more expressive to those they love on any day ending in the letter y. there is no longer this need to wait until a birthday or celebration to express love and gratitude. that has arguably been one of the best things to come out of this pandemic.

even with all of the aforementioned, i have had several conversations with loved ones in recent weeks about feeling guilt or shame around the things that are going well. some have even said they have downplayed what is going well for them to friends and family after realizing that they do not seem particularly happy for them. here is a sad reality: not all people are capable of celebrating the accomplishments of their loved ones if they do not have something they feel is also worth celebrating in their own lives.

i came across this quote on instagram from wctherapygroup and felt compelled to write this post and share it:

“not everyone is going to be celebrating and cheering you on. know you’re killing it anyway.”

don’t allow a lack of outside validation stop you from doing the damn thing. sometimes, you have to be your own biggest cheerleader. and i will let you in on a little secret – when you’ve curated a dope inner circle, there will ALWAYS be at least one other person happy to cheer alongside you and toast to your greatness.

what have you accomplished this year that we should be cheering for?

xoxo,

k. tap