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Dear PMINYC Community,
One Labor Day weekend, I attended a dear friend’s wedding in New Jersey. At the time, I had just traveled from London, where I lived with my husband Rob, a Brit. It was one of our first trips to the U.S. together, and after the wedding, we visited Acadia National Park. I’ll never forget Rob’s confusion when he asked, “Why is everything closing and so few people are here in this beautiful weather?”
At that moment, I paused to think—why is it?
For Americans, Labor Day signals that school is back in session, football season is kicking off and the summer is over. But for the British, it’s not the end of summer at all. That one question from Rob made me realize how much our perspectives are shaped by culture. It also turned me into someone who clings to summer, and since then, I’ve enjoyed some of my best vacations after Labor Day.
This story reminds me how adaptable we are as humans, though change does take effort.
How Change Happens
Making change is about creating new neural pathways in our brain. Our brains are essentially predictive machines, using past experiences to guide future expectations. If I’ve always viewed Labor Day as the end of summer, that’s the outcome my brain will predict.
However, with new experiences, I can rewire those pathways. For me, living in the UK—where Labor Day isn’t recognized the same way—provided new experiences which enabled my brain to predict differently. I no longer associated Labor Day with the end of summer, and instead, I started taking vacations after the holiday. This change in my beliefs was brought about through behavior modification and was much easier to embed as I immersed myself in a new culture that celebrated International Workers’ Day on May 1st.
Here’s what I did to adapt:
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Challenged my assumptions: Why does Labor Day have to be the end of summer?
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Asked questions: What cultural factors were driving this belief in the U.S.?
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Reframed the situation: More vacation after Labor Day? Less crowded, beautiful weather? Why not embrace it!
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Expanded my comfort zone: I intentionally sought out new experiences that went beyond what I was used to.
By consistently adopting new behaviors, my brain adjusted its predictions. This is how change happens: new experiences create new neural pathways, allowing us to alter our expectations.
When I moved back to the U.S., I was surrounded by the same cultural cues—ads, commentary, and the general belief that Labor Day marks the end of summer. But because I had created new neural pathways, my brain predicted a different outcome - summer is not over until the autumn equinox begins.
Adaptability: A Core Skill
This brief story is more than just a reflection on summer. It’s about adaptability—the ability to embrace and thrive in the face of change. Whether in our personal lives or the workplace, our success often depends on how well we adapt.
Key actions to help embrace change include:
- Challenging old beliefs
- Asking meaningful questions
- Reframing changes as opportunities
- Expanding your comfort zone with new experiences
As we move forward together in the PMINYC community, I encourage all of us to think about how we can challenge our assumptions, embrace new perspectives, and adapt with resilience.
Let’s hold onto the warmth of summer just a little longer...
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