“What I wish I knew” by Kirsten Williams

Submitted by Kirsten Williams

What I wish I knew prior to beginning this journey is that self-care and positive mental health are incredibly important to have a grasp on prior to embarking upon a journey that will literally test everything you know about yourself and those important to you. Pursuing a degree of higher learning truly requires genuine self-reflection and much understanding of who you are and what you’re made of.  For me, that journey required a deep and intimate inspection of my passion(s), my goals, my family relationships, and my personal relationships. I needed to understand choices that I made, decisions that were apart of cycles of learned behavior, and how to overcome and forgive myself and others for the things that truly held a lot of weight on who I was as a woman. I also had to align my newfound understandings with my What, Why, and How to make sure that I sought clarity and spiritual guidance that was consistent; and that all of it made as much sense as it could.

Life isn’t perfect, and it certainly is not easy. However, sometimes we must examine the roles we play in where we are in life and constantly engage in self-care and self-reflection to become a version of ourselves that is stronger than our strongest excuse. As a Black woman, I understand the strength that I am made of. However, as Black women, we also must know when to protect that strength and focus on nurturing ourselves before other people. Embarking on this journey of self-care and positive mental health opened my mind to abilities that I either knew I possessed but initially had trouble tapping into or abilities that I didn’t even know I possessed. This made me a better student and person and opened my life up to new, positive experiences. It’s scary to confront things and people that have been a significant part of your “routine” or thought processes for so many years – or for your entire life. Ultimately, I made the decision to be fearless in the pursuit of what I needed to do for my soul – for my future self. I remember always seeing quotes on social media about walking confidently in the direction of your dreams, and that is exactly what life, and grad school, are all about.

Her Mantra: “You wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down.”                                                                                                       ― Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon

Kirsten Williams
Juris Doctorate Candidate