January 1, 2020

A decade ago, I was in the middle of a transition.

I just wrapped up grad school and moved cross country and started in a new city, a new company, a new job.

Many friends, peers and mentors supported me and served as witnesses to all life had thrown my way — the joys, wins, sorrow and pain.

They have been on the receiving end of many long late-night phone calls, text messages and food meetups.

They were always there to gave me the feedback I needed to push through.

They saw my potential, my talent and believed in me.

More importantly, they saw me, unfiltered and raw.

I would not be where I am today without this personal board of directors guiding me on this journey.

My mentors forewarned me that once you hit the 30s, you feel different — body, mind and spirit.

I didn’t understand what they meant then.

As an only child, I’m used to being the youngest in the group when among other peers, mentors, and advisors.

I’m used to being on the receiving end of sage advice just by nature of who I was surrounded by.

But something changed last year.

The handoff happened.

The handoff was gradually happening earlier but it didn’t hit me until I went to a journalism conference and the number of new people I didn’t know outnumbered the people I knew.

There was a different kind of energy in the air.

This was a good thing, but I also wasn’t sure I was ready for it.

This time, instead of being the youngest, I was one of the oldest and the upcoming generation was right behind me making moves and slaying it.

Now they were asking me for advice and looked to me for insights just like I had done with my mentors a decade earlier.

It’s a big responsibility that I don’t take lightly.

And for a while, I wasn’t sure if I had something to contribute.

What do I have to teach them? I’m still learning myself and figuring out things too.

But in 2019, the more I interacted with these emerging and talented storytellers, movers and shakers, they were a reminder of how we all bring something to the table regardless of where you are in your career and life.

It was a reminder that experience is a gift to be shared and passed on.

While I don’t have any siblings, I’ve stepped into the Ate (older sister) role unofficially, which is something new for me.

It’s both exciting and terrifying.

But I take that as a sign of growth.

If you are not doing things that scare you, you are not growing. You are not learning.

I look with pride to the cohorts right behind me and pay respect to those who have gone before me.

I’m proud to be their witness to their ambitions and goals and remind them of that when things get rough, just as my mentors did for me.

The handoff is here and I’m all here for it.

Let’s do this 2020.