What Maycember Teaches Us About Adapting at Work

The Sprint Before Summer

The weeks before summer can feel like a sprint. School wrap-ups, camp sign-ups, vacation planning—and in my house, a flurry of birthdays and family events—all seem to land at once. It’s no wonder May has earned the nickname Maycember: a season that stretches our time, energy, and focus in every direction. There are forms to fill out, last-minute gifts to buy, travel logistics to coordinate, endless schedules to juggle. It would be easy to feel overwhelmed. And yet, somehow, we make it work.

We adapt.
We shift priorities.
We rearrange schedules.
We find time and energy we didn't know we had—because these moments with our families matter. They’re worth it.

Why Is It So Much Harder at Work?

That adaptability we show at home—the creativity, the flexibility, the resourcefulness—doesn’t always carry over to our careers. When things start to shift at work, many of us freeze. We stay stuck longer than we should. We cling to career paths, leadership styles, or skill sets that once served us well—even if they no longer fit who we are or what’s needed now.

We tell ourselves it's safer to stay the course—that change will be easier later and discomfort is just the price of stability.

But here's the truth:
Our lives aren’t static—at home or on the job.
Change will find us either way.
The real question is whether we’ll respond to it intentionally.

From Crisis-Driven to Clarity-Driven

We don’t only have to change when a crisis forces our hand. We can choose to recalibrate because we’re ready for more.

More meaning.
More alignment.
More momentum.

Just like we adjust for what matters most at home, we can learn to do the same professionally—with clarity, confidence, and the understanding that growth requires movement, even if the next step feels uncomfortable.

Maycember reminds us that when it matters enough, we make the shift. What if we carried that same adaptability into our careers, too?