There are dates we remember because history tells us to remember them. And then there are dates that become permanently woven into our own lives. For me, September 11 is both. More than twenty years ago, I was freshly enrolled in cosmetology school while also pursuing opportunities in entertainment and modeling. I was young, ambitious, and trying to discover where life might take me. At the time, I was working through L&M Modeling in Pikesville, Maryland, and my agent, Melissa, booked me for an important editorial modeling assignment for American Lawyer magazine. The photo shoot was scheduled to take place at Doug Levere Studio in Manhattan, New York. The original date of that editorial assignment was September 11, 2001. For reasons I still do not know, the American Lawyer magazine shoot was moved forward approximately one week. At the time, it seemed like nothing more than a scheduling change. Then September 11 arrived. And everything changed. Like millions of people around the world, I watched in disbelief as an ordinary morning became one of the most devastating days in American history. Lives were lost. Families were changed forever. First responders ran toward unimaginable danger. And the world was reminded how quickly life, circumstances and history can change. For me, there was another deeply personal realization. I kept thinking about that American Lawyer magazine editorial shoot at Doug Levere Studio in Manhattan. It had originally been scheduled for that very day. September 11, 2001. Then, unexpectedly, it had been moved up one week. I have never claimed to know why the date changed, and I would never suggest that I can know what would have happened had the assignment remained on its original schedule. But I can say this with complete sincerity: I have remained deeply grateful for that change ever since. When I think about the life I have lived over the past 25 years, I think about how many things I have been able to experience because I was given the opportunity to keep moving forward. I became a professional stylist. I became an author. I became a creator. I continued writing, dreaming, building and trying again through success, disappointment, rejection and opportunity. And today, I can look back at that young man preparing for an American Lawyer magazine editorial in Manhattan and recognize just how much life was still ahead of him. Had my journey ended differently, I would not be here today to share The Complainer and the Thinker. I would not be here building The THINKER Method™. I would not be here trying to transform the experiences of my own life into something that might help another person think differently about responsibility, leadership, family, choices, adversity and change. That is why September 11 has remained such a powerful reminder for me. It reminds me of gratitude. It reminds me of purpose. It reminds me not to take tomorrow for granted. And it reminds me that when we are given more time, we have a responsibility to decide what we will do with it. Twenty-Five Years Later, Another Life-Changing Moment Now, on September 11, 2026, another major change has entered my life. Hellie Ogden has taken me on as a client and is representing my book and writing career. The significance of that timing is difficult for me to ignore. Twenty-five years ago, September 11 changed the way I viewed life. Today, September 11 represents another turning point in my journey as a writer. One moment reminds me how quickly life can change through circumstances beyond our control. The other reminds me what can happen when we continue believing, working, creating and refusing to stop pursuing purpose. For me, the common word between both moments is change. September 11 changed society. It changed families. It changed the way the world viewed safety, courage, sacrifice and humanity. It changed me. And now, through The Complainer and the Thinker, I hope my writing can contribute to another kind of change. Positive change. Change in the way we think. Change in the way we respond to adversity. Change in the way we lead. Change in the way families communicate. Change in the way people accept responsibility for what they can control instead of allowing circumstances to determine everything they become. That same mission is at the heart of The THINKER Method™. My purpose is not simply to publish a book. My hope is that the message behind my work can help people become stronger thinkers, better leaders, more accountable individuals and more intentional members of their families and communities. If one person makes a better decision because of something I wrote, that matters. If one family communicates differently, that matters. If one leader becomes more accountable, that matters. If one young person begins to believe that circumstances do not have to determine the limits of their future, that matters. Because society changes when people change. Today, Remembrance Comes First As personal as this story is to me, September 11 is first and foremost a day of remembrance. My experience does not compare to the unimaginable sacrifice and loss endured by the people directly affected that morning. Today I honor the people who never came home. I honor the mothers and fathers. The husbands and wives. The sons and daughters. The friends and colleagues. I honor the first responders who ran toward danger when every human instinct would have told them to run away. I honor the survivors. And I honor the families who have carried the weight of September 11 for 25 years. My story is simply one small thread connected to that day. A young man in cosmetology school, pursuing entertainment and modeling, received an editorial assignment from American Lawyer magazine through L&M Modeling in Pikesville, Maryland. His agent, Melissa, booked him for a shoot at Doug Levere Studio in Manhattan, New York. The assignment was supposed to happen on September 11, 2001. Then it was moved forward by approximately one week. Twenty-five years later, I am still here. I am still grateful. I am still creating. I am still writing. And now, with Hellie Ogden representing my book and writing career, another chapter is beginning. I cannot explain every turn that brought me here. But I can honor the life I have been given by making it count. My hope is that The Complainer and the Thinker and The THINKER Method™ can help create positive change in a world that has shown us repeatedly just how much change matters. September 11 taught us that the world can change in a single morning. What we do with the days that follow is part of the legacy we choose to create. We remember. James W. Jenkins September 11 is deeply personal to me. More than twenty years ago, I was freshly enrolled in cosmetology school while also pursuing entertainment and modeling. Through L&M Modeling in Pikesville, Maryland, my agent Melissa booked me for an editorial modeling assignment for American Lawyer magazine. The photo shoot was scheduled at Doug Levere Studio in Manhattan, New York. The original date? September 11, 2001. For reasons I still do not know, the American Lawyer magazine editorial shoot was moved forward approximately one week. At the time, it seemed like nothing more than a scheduling change. Then 9/11 happened. I cannot say what would have happened had that assignment remained on its original date. But for the past 25 years, I have remained deeply grateful that the schedule changed. When I think about everything that has happened since, that gratitude becomes even more powerful. I am here today to share The Complainer and the Thinker. I am here building The THINKER Method™. I am here continuing to write, create and pursue a purpose centered around leadership, accountability, family, personal responsibility and positive change. And now, on September 11, 2026, another major change has entered my life. Hellie Ogden has taken me on as a client and is representing my book and writing career. Twenty-five years ago, September 11 changed my understanding of life. Today, another September 11 marks a new chapter in my journey. One reminds me how quickly circumstances can change everything. The other reminds me what we can do with the life and opportunities we are given. My hope is that The Complainer and the Thinker can contribute to positive change in society — encouraging people to think differently, lead differently, take responsibility for their choices and make the world around them better. But today, remembrance comes first. I honor every life lost, every family forever changed, every survivor and every first responder whose courage became part of history. I remain profoundly grateful to be here. And I intend to honor that gratitude by making the work count. We remember. We honor. We never forget. ???? — James W. Jenkins Email: September 11 — A Personal Story of Gratitude, Change and Purpose Today I want to share something deeply personal. More than twenty years ago, I was freshly enrolled in cosmetology school while also pursuing opportunities in entertainment and modeling. At the time, I was working through L&M Modeling in Pikesville, Maryland, and my agent, Melissa, booked me for an editorial modeling assignment for American Lawyer magazine. The photo shoot was scheduled to take place at Doug Levere Studio in Manhattan, New York. The original date of that assignment was September 11, 2001. For reasons I still do not know, the American Lawyer magazine editorial shoot was moved forward approximately one week. At the time, it seemed like nothing more than a change in scheduling. Then September 11 happened. I have thought about that assignment countless times over the past 25 years. I cannot say what would have happened had the original schedule remained unchanged, but I can say that I have remained profoundly grateful that the shoot was moved. When I think about everything I have been able to experience since then, that gratitude becomes even greater. I am here today to share The Complainer and the Thinker. I am here to build The THINKER Method™. I am here to continue writing, creating and trying to turn my own experiences into work that may help other people think differently about leadership, family, personal responsibility, adversity and change. And now, on September 11, 2026, another significant change has entered my life. Hellie Ogden has taken me on as a client and is representing my book and writing career. The timing carries tremendous meaning for me. Twenty-five years ago, September 11 changed the way I looked at life. Today, another September 11 marks the beginning of a new chapter in my writing journey. One experience reminds me how suddenly circumstances beyond our control can change life. The other reminds me what can happen when we continue believing, working, creating and pursuing our purpose. My hope now is that The Complainer and the Thinker can contribute to positive change in society. I hope its message encourages greater accountability, stronger leadership, healthier families, better decision-making and the understanding that while we cannot control every circumstance, we can decide how we respond to them. That mission also lives at the heart of The THINKER Method™. But today is first and foremost a day of remembrance. I honor every person whose life was lost on September 11, every family who has carried that loss for 25 years, every survivor and every first responder whose courage will forever be part of our history. I remain deeply grateful to still be here. And one of the greatest ways I know to express that gratitude is to make the life I have been given meaningful and use my work in an effort to leave the world better than I found it. We remember. We honor. We remain grateful. And we never forget. With gratitude and respect, James W. Jenkins
We honor.
We remain grateful.
And we never forget.
Author of The Complainer and the Thinker
Creator of The THINKER Method™
Author, The Complainer and the Thinker
Creator, The THINKER Method™
Author, The Complainer and the Thinker
Creator, The THINKER Method™
JamesJenkinsAuthorLLC/LiteralExcellenceusa.org
James Jenkins Founder
