I might be weird, but I love the first week of September.
A disclaimer first. I was born and raised in Italy, and you need to understand that the Italian summer isn't quite what you imagine. Yes, we have the beaches, the mountains, the art, the spritz, the good food. But there's something foreigners often struggle to grasp. The concept of Ferragosto.
Ferragosto falls on the 15th of August. It's a national holiday, and it brings the entire country to a halt. Not for a day. For the whole month. Everyone, and I mean everyone, is off in August. Shops shut, offices empty out. Whatever problem you might have, the answer is the same: "ne riparliamo a settembre." We'll talk about it in September.
I hate it. I always have.
I don't like huge crowds. I don't like being expected to have fun, to do something worth posting on Instagram. I like my routine. I like taking time off when I actually want it. I like walking into a shop or an office knowing it'll be open and something can get done. Which is exactly why I love September.
For me, September is the real start of the year, far more than January. Maybe it's the football obsessive in me, but I find it easier to side with Nick Hornby and organise my life in seasons that begin once summer ends and everyone returns to normality.
This time of year energises me. Summer can be draining for an introvert, all that quiet pressure to be out, to be enjoying yourself. September has a different buzz. Everyone's back at their desks, and anything worth circling back to after the break happens now. The temperatures drop, the colours soften, and I find it easy to lock in and appreciate what's around me a little more.
My own summer was busy, with work and personal things both. Everything felt suspended for a while, and now it's finally back in motion. My energy isn't sky-high, but I feel more alive than I have in months.
The goals for the coming months are set. It's time to reap what I've been building and start taking on more ownership, more responsibility, leading by example in everything I do. I know that should be a given by now, but I've never felt this clearly that I have the energy and the confidence to actually do it. I'm ready to push past boundaries I've kept in place in my own head for far too long.
This quarter feels pivotal. At work I'm leading my first project of real significance, and I can feel the trust being placed in me. The feedback so far has been positive, and that's been fuel on the fire. I want to do more, do it better, take on more, and finally unlock that ability to think proactively, at a higher level, with more context in mind. A senior mental model.
My personal life will be busy too, with a difficult renovation to manage and some housing issues to sort out. I know myself well enough to predict what happens next: the deeper I get into it, the more my instinct to do everything thoroughly and to the best of my ability will take over. I'm not a particularly handy person. But I'll do my best.
This new season is only just beginning, and I honestly can't wait to get stuck in and see where it takes me.