17 Comments
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Sandra Jones's avatar

WOW! This is a very powerful piece of work and I have to say I'm very very proud of you. This is going to help others that have dealt or dealing with the same or similar things. Keep writing honey and never give up, I have a feeling there may be more to tell. LOVE YOU!!🙏🏾❤️

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Kay Renee's avatar

Ms. Sandra!!! Thank you. Your kind words mean so much!!! I appreciate and love you 🤍🤍

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DeeBee's avatar

This is powerful. As I read, I kept saying “yes” and nodding. I am so grateful that you shared with us and that you are in the unlearning process. I am so proud of you!

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Kay Renee's avatar

Thank you!!! I appreciate you🤍

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Krystal's avatar

This is such a defining moment. I got emotional reading it because I remember a similar version of myself. I loved every line.

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Kay Renee's avatar

Krystal, thank you for seeing me. I appreciate you.

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Faiza Chaudhary's avatar

I’ve spent so much of my life feeling like I had to perform to be worthy—of love, of respect, of being taken seriously. Especially as a woman of color, there’s this constant pressure to overachieve just to be allowed in the room, and even then, you’re questioned. That feeling of being seen only through your accomplishments, not your humanity—I know it all too well. Thank you for putting words to something I’ve carried quietly for years. This piece reminded me I’m not alone—and that worth is something we never have to earn.

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Kay Renee's avatar

We are not alone. I didn’t realize how much this pressure guided the course of my life and I’m ready for a change. Thank you for sharing.

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Osarieme Omoruyi's avatar

Thank you for sharing this beautiful piece. A lot us need this!

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Kay Renee's avatar

Thank you, Osarieme! I appreciate you🤍

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Michelle S.'s avatar

"I think I started to understand that even my achievements weren’t fully mine. They were currency. They were ways to feel worthy. For her, for me, for us both."

That resonated deep! I spent years of my life chasing achievements that meant absolutely nothing to me. It tools me decades to realize my achievements were some of the only positive ways I felt recognized with my parents. Now I am aware and even when I encounter it, I can name it now.

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Kay Renee's avatar

Thank you! I really wish I started healing from this earlier, but it’s not too late. Like you, now that I’ve identified the issue, I have started to pause and it has made all the difference🤍

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Ten's avatar

Thank you for sharing. This has unlocked something in me I should put on a page. 👏🏾👏🏾

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Kay Renee's avatar

I appreciate you🤍🤍

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Continuity's avatar

Thank you for sharing! You deserve every award, we all do.

I won some Citizenship awards in school, more like the hyper-anxious award. Besides that, I think I always felt like that recognition was for the birds. Praise from others usually feels hollow and transactional to me. Tangible meaning comes from your perception, not others.

This philosophy does NOT help with self-promotion 😂.

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Yolan's avatar

“Slowly, I’m beginning to understand: self-worth isn’t a prize. It’s a birthright. And I never had to earn it in the first place.”

I felt this. It takes so much to get to a place where we recognize we’re enough. It’s not easy work. Thanks for sharing🤎

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Kay Renee's avatar

Thank you. I appreciate you🤍

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