On Knowing and Being, a Few Thoughts
In 2021 I was given an amazing opportunity to join?Universal Music Group ?#UMG?- As of March 2022, I'm celebrating 6 months with the company.
Having been in my role for several months, I felt compelled to share a few general insights about my overall experiences in the professional world, and a few insights I've gained, personally and professionally over the years.
Not just as an employee, but as a person. I grew up in a culture & as part of a religion that constantly told me, & had me repeat the phrase, "I am not worthy". It's taken me years & years to overcome this feeling of devaluation. I have suffered from impostor syndrome (still do occasionally), which includes the fear & feeling that someone may discover I'm not really the person I portray externally. Being a queer person didn't help this feeling, but also growing up in a world that just seemed ready & eager for me to fail was crippling in my ability to realize my strengths, my own worth, my own greatness. The reality is I am valuable; yes as an employee but also as a person & working in an environment with people who help me re-affirm this for myself is and has been powerful.
? 2. Know your passion(s).
I've long had the experiences of "this is me at work" and "this is me in my personal life." Yet increasingly in my professional & personal life, I've been more & more consciously marrying the two. My, "this is me at work" mask is removed, with this fa?ade coming down, I feel more capable of sharing my true face; this true face I wear, which is my own face, is a face of a person who has passion for people, a passion for art, a passion for music, a passion to help others achieve their goals and to celebrate their greatness. I have discovered in my passion that it is possible to express passion into work; to do so is hard; it requires flexibility; it requires honesty and sometimes heartbreak, but a life driven by informed passion, can be a life well lived.
? 3. Know your vulnerabilities.
I live in a society & culture that teaches that being vulnerable is being weak. I was taught that admitting to "not knowing", owning up to one's flaws or errors, or being exposed as imperfect was simply not done. Yet increasingly, there is such power in saying, "I'm sorry, I made a mistake" or "That is an opportunity for me, & I'm working on it" & finally saying, "I could really use your help." Asking for help, admitting you need a coach, mentor, friend, or that a subject or project is beyond your individual scope, is not weakness. Needing help is strength. My vulnerability, which is part of my humanity, gives me a connection to the community & society in which I live. Knowing my vulnerabilities is a source of great strength, one of the most powerful I've ever discovered.?
4. Know how (& when) to change.
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I'm creature of habit. Honestly, I live by routine(s); from when I exercise, to what I eat every day. But I also nurture & feed my sense of wonder, curiosity & desire to discover & learn. Adaptability & learning to be flexible is for some folks a natural behavior, & for some of us, it's a learned & practiced behavior. It is often so easy to assume that "if this, then that" in life; the reality of our world is, "this does NOT always lead to that." Change is of course the inevitability of life; it's a fundamental part of the human experience and is one of those things that can create an ontological struggle. Embrace the change, guide the change in life by being aware of it. Sure, some of life and some of change can be a dice throw, learning to accept how change is key to growth and personal discovery is, ahem.... life changing.
? 5. Finally (not really finally, but enough for this post), be part of your community.
Whether this community is your work environment, your selected family, your literal community & place in which you live, or your own definition. Finding and knowing that place to "exist" in community brings so much value and meaning. It enables that sense of purpose and can help one be grounded. In being surrounded by community, one may find and enable others to help guide you and will be there to call you out on your own internal (& sometimes external) BS. What I mean, and have personally experienced, is that being an active part community can empower you to dig deep into your passions, and can pull you up and out of being mired in one's own muck, so as to know that the world exists because you are part of that community, and helps remind us that our place in the world is about more than just our own place in the world. It's so easy to become self-embroiled in a life of "what about me." My place in community can contribute to so much more than my internal voice, wants & needs. Being part of a community enables me to celebrate the OTHER and others to celebrate me as well.
?Thank you to?#UMG?for this opportunity. Thank you to the lovely people I've met & have yet to meet. Thank you for the?#music, the?#songs, the?#dancing?& for allowing me to express my passion, to share my vulnerability, to change & grow, & finally for welcoming me into your community.
Please note, these are personal observations & are not company sponsored comments, these opinions are mine alone.
?If you're interested in working for UMG - visit our career page at