September is here. As we move into fall and think about how we want to finish the year, it’s worth considering what we’re carrying with us.
A lot can happen in a year. Successes build our confidence, disappointments test us, and changes ask us to find our footing again. Some of us enter this season energized. Others feel stretched thin. Many of us feel both.
What we carry also changes. Some things shape us even after the disappointment has passed. We may find a new perspective, build an unexpected relationship, or discover possibilities we couldn’t see at first.
As the 25th anniversary of September 11 approaches, I think about the care I witnessed people showing one another in its aftermath. That memory stays with me as a reminder that how we show up for others can have a lasting impact.
That care has a place in our everyday lives, too. We rarely know everything someone is carrying. A little patience, a thoughtful question, or time to listen can help someone feel understood.
We deserve that understanding ourselves. There is room to be capable and committed at work while still having things weighing on us.
Recognizing that can help us notice how our experiences influence the way we respond. Sometimes a pause is enough to ask: Am I responding to this moment, or to something I brought into it?
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” - James Baldwin
That awareness matters especially when an idea challenges our own. Can we stay curious when our first instinct is to defend our position? Ask how someone reached a different conclusion? Listen closely enough to reconsider?
Agreement may not follow. Understanding can. And that can change how we move forward together.
Seeing someone grow in confidence or succeed at something that matters to them makes me happy. It’s one of the most rewarding parts of professional life for me, and it reminds me to make time to support others.
We can recognize someone’s contribution and make sure their work gets the credit it deserves. Make an introduction that opens an opportunity. Have difficult conversations with courage and care. Celebrate someone’s progress and help them take the next step.
The impact matters. Does someone leave clearer about what comes next, more confident about contributing, or better able to work through a disagreement? We can’t control every response, but we can pay attention, ask, and adjust.
As the year moves toward its close, there will be plenty to finish. Every day also offers an opportunity to strengthen our connections through how we help one another get there.
We don’t choose every experience that shapes us. But we can choose to carry empathy, curiosity, and generosity into the room and put them into practice once we arrive.
What will you bring into the room, and how will it help others move forward?
This content is my own. AI was used to help edit this article.