This is Twenty Five. I'm blessed to be celebrating my 25th birthday today, I have so much to celebrate, thank God for, reflect on, and I am ringing in this new year with excitement for all this next year of my life will bring.
Today I want to share some reflections as I enter this new chapter, but before we do so let's get into this birthday photoshoot!
EXTRA! EXTRA! KYE TAKES TWENTY FIVE
Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Kye takes Twenty Five!
I love doing photoshoots for my milestone birthdays, we started this with a shoot for my 16th birthday. I did one for my 21st and I had this vision for my 25th photoshoot that came to life better than I could imagine. The theme for my 25th is "golden affair" with champagne toasts to life. I wanted to have a showstopper look, with inspo from old Hollywood glam.
I had so much fun putting together this shoot, you know the Virgo in me as living as I had a whole mood board to plan the props, dress, and poses. I worked with De'Asia Photography in Maryland, she is afforable, professional, and very quick to return photos and edits - I highly recommend. For my makeup I worked with @lolaliartistry and I LOVE my makeup. She gave me the perfect soft glam that matched my dress and highlighted my natural beauty.
For my hair, my mom graciously helped me flat iron and curl it. We had such a great daughter-mother moment as I sat in silk robe while she curled my hair and thought back to all the nights of her doing my hair when I was a little girl. My aunt and my nanny met us at the studio and they also live for moments like this, we had so much fun doing the shoot.
25 Lessons I Learned for my 25th Birthday
You know how they say 25 is the year your frontal lobe fully develops? Yeah those TikToks were accurate cause the frontal lobe is lobing yall. 25 is truly a milestone birthday and it also coincides with me ending my clerkship year - this year has challenged me, watered me, and shaped me in so many ways. We can absolutely say that I've learned a lot this year as I close such an eventful chapter I am reflecting on what I learned in order to take them into my next chapter. So here are 25 lessons that I have learned (and still learning) in my 25 years.
I am enough
This is something I've struggled with believing for years, so this is a lesson I continue to learn but unpacking this in therapy and saying this affirmation to myself has helped me believe this more and more
2. Instant gratification fades
I'm moving more towards the actions that speak to my heart, peace, and happiness instead of doing things that feel good in the moment but then fade and leave me feeling worse.
3. Reconnect with childhood hobbies
From getting back to reading novels to singing, it is so great to reconnect with hobbies - especially those I loved in my childhood.
4. I won't be happy in the future if I can't be happy now
Especially in medicine it can be easy to think, I'll be happier once PCE is over, I'll be happy once I get my MD, I'll be happy when I'm an attending - if anything now I'm hoping I can maintain the happiness and peace I have now because I am LOVING me just where I am at
5. Therapy is AMAZING
me and my therapist go together real bad. Being in therapy this past year has helped me process so much, help me let my emotions out, plan the steps I needed to take next in healing, and it has been one of the best things to happen to me
6. I can be friendly without being friends with everyone
As a former people pleaser this one is a hard one for me, but as the front lobe was lobing I realized I don't want to be friends with everyone - and that's ok! I can still be friendly and I can have boundaries and still be a kind and genuine person.
7. I can do hard things
I tear up with I tell myself this affirmation because this past year was one of the hardest of my life. Between clerkship year and my mom being diagnosed with breast cancer there were many days I thought I couldn't do it anymore - balancing all that I did and not just passing but BODYING my rotations with stellar evaluations...whew. I know I can do hard things and handle whatever comes my way with God's grace and protection over me.
8. Going to church and reading my Bible is necessary for my faith
This is a big one for me. This year was the year I truly refound Jesus and strengthened my faith, in my darkest moment I felt him calling me towards him and started attending church, reading my Bible, and growing in my faith. Off all the lessons, this is the one I that I am so thankful for and I give Him praise for goodness.
9. Its not about having the time, its about having the energy
I would always be stressed about not having time, but this year it clicked that sometimes I could have the time but not have the energy. Sometimes I had the time after a long day to reply to that text or do something for someone - but if I just didn't have the energy that is also ok and I don't have to feel guilty about that.
10. I don't have to settle and I won't settle
Settle is literally not in my vocabulary. Like who is she? I don't know her. What I deserve is worth waiting for.
11. Procrastination leads to bigger problems
I've had too many situations where putting some off just made it take more time and effort once I did do it - especially with these darn adulting tasks - so I'm trying to just get the annoying tasks over with when they first present themselves.
12. Focus on my sisterhood and schedule dates with my friends
Sisterhood is so important to me, I began scheduling weekly facetimes with my friends and focusing on activities to deepen our friendship
13. Book the trip, time is limited
For my later half of my 20's I want to traveeeel baby!! I'm so thankful for the travel experiences I have had and excited for more. Especially proud of myself for booking the trips home to Saint Martin - to be home with my family is priceless
14. I can be strong and soft at the same time
I'm a strong woman, period. But that doesn't mean that I can't be soft, taken care off, protected and valued. I can choose who I surround myself and which situations I react to that bring out my soft side instead of my strong side
15. Its ok to not be ok
Sometimes I am not ok...and I don't have to instantly try to fix it. Now I journal, I go on a hot girl walk, I cry, I let myself actually feel my emotions and allow myself to not be ok
16. A weekly reset makes all the difference
If you follow me on instagram then you know I love my Sunday reset, honestly fresh sheets, bouquet of flowers, and self care makes all the difference for me
17. Taking care of my physical health is something I have to keep as a priority
This year I fell in love with the gym and becoming the strongest and healthiest version of myself and I'm excited to keep prioritizing this in the future
18. I am never alone because Jesus is with me
This past year has been the lonliness I've experienced with being in clinical year, being the single friend and took an almost year long hiatus from dating, and being in Boston away from my family and best friends - but I am never alone with Jesus. My alone time has taught me so much and I think half the things on this list I wouldn't have learned or grown without the way I focused on myself this year
19. Don't take things personally
This year I read the book The Four Agreements and this is one of the agreements and I probabaly say this to myself everyday now. Give the book a read to learn more but its as simple as don't take it personally!
20. I don't have to share everything to be real and myself on social media
Having a blog and choosing to share my journey meant sometimes I felt like I had to explain myself which came from a place of wanting to control how people were perceiving my content so it could match with my intentions. Now I know people will form their opinions and perceptions and my content is who it is for. As long as I continue to be genuine and true to myself I can be more and more private online while still sharing my journey in a meaningful way.
21. Choose to be better everyday
I realized that as long as I am choosing to be better each day then that is really all that matters, I will never be perfect and that's not the goal, the goal is the best me I can be each day knowing that each day will look different.
22. Moving to a new city as hard but I'm so glad I did it
This year I actually started enjoying living in Boston, the first year here was hard but now I've been more settled and it hit me recently like - bruh I really moved to a new city on my own. I'm grateful for this opportunity because it has helped me grow so much.
23. I can be happily single
Society will make you think that singleness is a problem that needs to be fixed and that is far from true - being single can be an amazing and needed time. I can want a loving relationship and want to to be married and also be happy in my single era.
24.I am the most important project I'll ever work on
I have a lot of goals and project ideas - and I am the most important project. By working on me it allows everything else to fall into place
25. I really love myself
This year I feel deeper in love with myself, as I write this blog and think of a final lesson I was just thinking how I really do love who I am. I'm just grateful for life man, there is so much to be thankful for, and I am beyond blessed. I really just want to make the most out of this life and live a life of love.
Looking Ahead at 25
I am so ridiciously excited for this year. I just want to continue to momentum that I am on and I feel in my heart that this year is going to be a movie - hense my old hollywood glam themed birthday shoot. Yup I am ready to be the main character of my 25th year.
My word for 25 is ELEVATE. I’m seeking experiences, people, habits, opportunities, and surroundings that elevate me. I was tested and challenged this past year and it affirmed that I am stronger than I thought I was.I’m ready to seek higher, shine brighter, and evolve further- all with grace and style.
I am starting this year by ending my clerkship year in medical school - I am so proud of myself and my classmates for completing this year because it was far from easy. I am so thankful for all that I have learned this year and it has been so meaninful. I will share more in another blog post reflecting on my PCE year, but just taking care of patients, learning clinical medicine, and seeing myself grow as a future physician in just one year was amazing because this is why I entered medicine. After years of premedical course work, MCAT, and preclinical course work, and the endless exams, I am at the end of this year seeing how all the studying and work is to form me into the physician I am meant to be.
To kick off my 25th year, I will be celebrating with my friends by hosting a golden themed birthday party. And then I am off to a solo trip....stay tuned for my destations! I am so excited, to be honest I was hesitating going on this trip but then I experienced a disappointment and I was literally like "f- it", I chose myself and booked the ticket. I hope this is the start of more solo traveling for me.
Once I am back from my trip, I am diving into Step 1 studying and ready to give it my all as I start the later half of my journey to becoming Dr. Laurence.
I want to thank all the amazing people in my life - especially my family who have been loving me unconditionally for all twenty-five years. I wouldn't be who I am today without you all.
I say all the time how blessed I am for the people in my life, I am thankful for the beautiful friends I have made, for the inspiring classmates I have, for the many memories that have been made through the years. I'm thankful for every person who has ever supported me, prayed for me, followed me on my journey, and showed me love. Thank you so much!
To make it easier for family, friends, and supporters who would like to gift me a birthday present, I made this gift list with some novels, self-help books, prayer journals and devotionals that I would truly appreciate and put to good use!
Cheers to chapter 25!
xoxo,
Kye
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