Thursday, December 31, 2009

The Year of Completion

As I sit back and reflect on this year, it is with trepidation and mixed emotions that I am glad to see it come to a close. Some of the most amazing life changing elements took place in the span of these 12 months. Conversely, I've also encountered some of the most challenging trials that have tested my faith (again) and forced me to question myself and the choices I've made.


When I think of the goodness of God, I am amazed that after and through everything, He is always invested in my success. I sit back to look at the world around me and sometimes I forget just how blessed I am. There was continued self reflection and introspection this year. There was also a lot of closing of chapters. Put some situations and people on the shelf and I also put some people and situations on blast. By December, instead of "kill 'em with kindness," I was perfecting my stillness with "kill 'em with silence." I make no apologies for not being able to deal with everything simultaneously. I've learned to pause and take my time a lot more cause I'm not trying to be all things to all people. I'm just trying to be the best me God needs me to be.


The losses suffered this year of my mother's oldest brother as well as my mother's godmother, continued to place family in my front view. Over the past few years, family has definitely transitioned from my rear view to the peripheral. I found more time to establish and build firmer relationships with the relatives that are still standing - primarily with a few of my elders and a couple of cousins who fell off the grid. It was good to reconnect - but truth be told, the maintenance is real. It takes two to make a thing go right, so after the initial point of contact, both parties have to put in work. That is a work in progress itself.">


Professionally, I conquered new territory - I put my producer hat on in television with my first show "Still Rollin: The 2009 Detroit Auto Show," a 30 minute BET special focusing on the domestic auto industry in crisis and the high-ranking African-American executives behind the scenes. Too bad they only aired it once in January, on the night of the Oscars :( But I stretched from behind the scenes and became talent as the voice of MPR: Profiles of Urban Entrepreneurs, a weekly series on BET J. That too was fun while it lasted. It was all par for the course as I continued to perform copywriter duties and project manage branded entertainment and integrated marketing platforms for BET.


The hustle didn't stop as the motivational, speaking engagement platforms were personally rewarding. From the keynote "On Fire For Christ" at Abyssinian Baptist Church Youth Revival to participating as a panelist at the Florida A&M University Media and Entertainment Conference to moderating "The Art of Branding Yourself" at the Radio One Raleigh Media & Entertainment Conference. These gifts that God blessed me with have not gone to waste in any arena.


My BFF's challenged my spiritual and practical nature by always infecting me with truth from the heart. All of us moving in congruent circles of love for each other on our respective journeys. Friends and associates have broken up, gotten engaged, gotten married, divorced, bought houses, traveled the world, had miscarriages and had babies. We're really in the midst of working this life out in our 30's. We make decisions, second guessed ourselves, stood firm, fell apart and got back up to do it all over again. Life is so real.


My own engagement and journey toward the covenant of marriage and oneness under God has brought me to tears of great joy and sadness at any given point. I've probably experienced every emotion under the sun working and moving toward this new season in my life. Ironically enough I feel as if I am right where I am supposed to be as this year closes out. It took a minute but I am praying on and planning my future - fearlessly and faithfully.


As I embark upon this new year, new decade, new season, I'd like to think I'm stepping up with a new mindset. New approaches and attitudes toward the same ol. Nothing is actually as it used to be, so I am preparing my thought life to come under submission as such. I desire BG Unlimited, Inc. to be more fruitful than years prior. I desire Kimberly to be more focused than years prior. I look forward to exercising the new lessons and stepping out of my comfort zone even more than I have. It's a no judgement zone, exercising love without conditions.

Here's to 2010 and beyond...and changing my last name! :)