I. To live a life that is honest and fulfilling

k.do
k.do
Jul 27, 2017 · 3 min read
Photography by Marek Urbanski

Hey! My name’s Kevin, lots of people call me kdo. Like many of you, I want to live a great life: make something of myself, do something impactful for others, and experience it all (the good and the bad). I want a fulfilling career, an adventurous life, meaningful relationships, to be well-rounded, carve my own path, break out of molds, influence others, financial stability, and so much more, all the while hoping to share it with the people who are important to me.

I’ve re-written my story (identity/values) multiple times over the last decade, and I’m a firm believer that it’s a strong indicator of growth. I know you all value growth. Constant growth and progression makes me feel fulfilled and proud of myself. Figuring out how to work through the feeling of being stuck and overwhelmed by life choices took a lot of effort. It’s easy to get lost in a blackhole of balancing how you want to live, what you want to do, who you want in your circle, what your standards are versus societal expectations as your life unravels. Learning how to be self-aware and manage my thoughts were essential to making progress.

Now I want to give back by being a life coach for you.


So why am I doing this?

No one should go through things alone. I know through the deeper conversations I’ve had with friends, strangers, mentors, family — that life is tough if you don’t build the right support system for yourself.

“Shame. Fear. Pride. Doubt. They’re too busy. Keeping things to myself, I’m not one to burden others. I don’t want to be a downer. Anxiety. I haven’t made enough progress yet, it’s not worthy of sharing. They may not understand. I don’t want to let them down. It isn’t the right timing or space to share things.”

Reaching out to others and sharing your struggle is especially hard if you have sabotaging inner voices. Sometimes you don’t even recognize it because of your own personal bias.

How you talk to yourself and perceive your situation directly impacts how you execute your life goals.


Growing up, I had a lot of internal struggles connecting with others, finding my strengths, defining my values, choosing careers, and being myself, partly because I did not have a great support system. Pretty relatable story, right? If not relatable then, then definitely now. I know how you feel, trying to prioritize what’s important in life. Our twenties are a great time — lots of choices and milestones, fueled by a burning desire to make something out of ourselves.

If you want to go fast, go alone. To go far, go together.

So what does the right support system mean to me? To me, it’s a hand-selection of friends, family, books, movies, role models, sought-out mentors, organizations, hobbies, mottos, mindsets — the list goes on. Each of these components fuel me in a certain way: inspiration, discipline, accountability, emotional support, perspective, patience, objectivity, well-being, purpose, and much more.

However, to build the right support system, I believe that a few components are necessary:

  • Expression — being self-aware, in tune with yourself, and bold enough to express your feelings, dreams, and vulnerabilities to others
  • Empathy — expanding this is important so that you can seek to understand others as they express their own story
  • Connection — if we express ourselves and empathize with each other, we’ll be able to connect better and support each other

The underlying themes that enable those components for the right support system are trust, vulnerability, and patience — ultimately.

We are all very similar, yet I’ve seen so many people try to do things by themselves. Sometimes it’s hard to reach out for help, I know. Part of our society tells us this is a sign of weakness; our minds tell us that we shouldn’t bother others because they’re probably busy with their own lives.

k.do

Written by

k.do

Life Coach | Helping others live honest and fulfilling lives

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