It really is interesting how we live the same lives, yet at the same time, we live completely different lives. The emotions we feel, the highs and lows, are all so distinctly similar. Love, loss, hardship, hurt, joy, anger, we feel it all at one point or another. This January, moving to Pennsylvania, I have officially lived in three states and three countries, and the more I travel, the more my head spins because we truly are all so similar. No language barrier, no amount of distance, no amount of religion, or pandemics can create such a grand difference in the sense of who we are as humans.

One of my favorite things about a new place is meeting new people, understanding their personalities, and, no matter personal or professional, deciding that I will find understanding for this person throughout the time our paths cross. Something I live by, is always leaving people better than you found them. I love making people feel loved, empowered, and understood because I know it is something so many of us deeply crave.

Work is, without a doubt, a place where I go out of my way to give understanding and empathy and help those around me smile just a little more. We never know the full details of what people around us are going through or what they have gone through. We don’t know their home lives, how they feel about themselves, how they view the world, or if they struggle to get by day to day. Sometimes you can see in between the lines of where people struggle, but many times it can be deeply masked, to the point where many can’t see any sort of struggle because it is so deeply tucked away.

I want my presence to bring peace and comfort to those around me, no matter where I am in the world. Moving from an academic setting where I was always relating to the struggles of other students, I thought the transition into work would leave me feeling empty and alone, but in fact, it has only shown me how to relate and empathize with those around me to a greater degree. The nerve-wracking feeling of starting a new job, the internal struggle of trying to learn throughout training and grasp what feels like a million concepts, to navigating the adult world as it hits you so fast is something we all face. Wanting to break down at work due to outside issues dealing with life’s many obstacles and inconveniences are something we all deal with. You truly are never alone. No matter how well someone holds it together or how often someone breaks down, there is always room to empathize.

I just hope you know, you’re never alone, no matter what life throws at you. It may not be fair, and it may hurt like nothing you’ve ever felt, but you’re never alone in the feeling. When you reach your highest highs, filled with smiles so grand your cheeks hurt, know that someone else on the globe is sharing your happiness too.

Cheer for your friends when it’s their moment. Support and encourage your friends when their moment hasn’t arrived just yet, and empathize with those around you. You will always feel far less alone, if even just for a second, you can tune into the lives and feelings of those around you.

Always leave people better than you found them.