A change of scenery

I’ll be taking a road trip this September, and one of the things I appreciate about getting away is the opportunity to see life from somewhere else for a while. That means taking different roads, seeing new landscapes, and meeting new people. Even something as simple as having morning coffee somewhere unfamiliar can create a subtle shift in perspective.

Of course, you don’t need to pack a bag or leave town to experience a change of scenery. Sometimes, however, what we need is to step outside the familiar long enough to enjoy a new view.

A Different View Can Reveal Something New

As capable, accomplished professionals, we tend to be pretty good at solving problems. When something isn’t working, we think about ways to improve it. We analyze it. We make lists, consider options, and gather information and try to figure out the best way forward. Those skills serve us well. We may reach a point, though, where thinking harder about something from the same vantage point simply produces more of the same thinking. That’s when a change of scenery can help.

It might mean working from a different location for an afternoon. Or, it could mean taking a day trip somewhere you haven’t been in years. Have you thought about having lunch with someone outside your usual professional circle? Or, could you spend a few hours in a museum, a botanical garden, a bookstore or a café without an agenda?

Maybe you look at a career challenge from the perspective of the person you were ten years ago. Would she be surprised by or even proud of how far you’ve come?

Maybe you imagine yourself five years from now looking back at the decision in front of you today. What might seem more important from that vantage point? Or perhaps you question an assumption that has become so familiar you no longer realize you’re making it. Simply put: sometimes clarity begins with a different view.

You Don’t Have to Solve Anything

Here’s the part I especially want us to remember this month: a change of scenery does not need to become another productivity exercise.You don’t have to take yourself to a beautiful location and immediately ask, “Okay, what am I supposed to figure out or solve here?” You are allowed to simply experience something different.

There is value in interrupting our usual patterns. When the familiar cues of everyday life change, even temporarily, our attention changes with them. We notice things. We become curious. We remember ideas we had forgotten. We may find ourselves thinking about an old problem in a new way.

Or perhaps nothing dramatic happens at all. That’s fine, too. The purpose isn’t to force an insight. It’s to create enough room for a new perspective to become possible.

Small Changes Count

September arrives at an interesting point in the year. By the end of September, we’ve moved through the expansiveness of summer, and the final months of 2026 are beginning to come into view.

There can be a temptation at this point to immediately start assessing: What still needs to happen? What goals haven’t been completed? What should I accomplish before the end of the year? Those questions have their place. But before rushing into the final stretch, perhaps we can look around first. What does your life look like from where you are standing today? What does your career look like? What are you seeing differently now than you did at the beginning of the year?

You may discover that something you thought was enormously important in January matters much less now. Something else may have quietly moved from the background to the foreground. A possibility you couldn’t see earlier may now seem obvious.

Perspective changes as we do.

For Your Consideration

As we move into this September New Moon, consider where a small change of scenery might serve you.

Where in your life or career have you been looking at something from the same angle for too long? What could you change about your surroundings, routine or approach that might help you see it differently? Is there someone whose perspective could expand your own?

And perhaps most importantly, where could you give yourself permission to explore without requiring an immediate outcome?

You don’t necessarily need a major change. You may simply need a different view.

Sometime this month, intentionally change your scenery.

Go somewhere different. Work somewhere different. Take a different route. Have a conversation with someone new. Spend an afternoon somewhere that makes you curious. Step outside your regular routine in whatever way feels accessible to you.

And then resist the urge to make the experience productive.

Look around.

Pay attention.

Notice what feels different from this vantage point.

You don’t need to come home with a five-point plan or a major revelation. Maybe you’ll simply return with a little more energy, a new idea, or a question you hadn’t thought to ask before.

That may be more than enough.

Sometimes clarity begins with a different view.

Okay, your turn:

When have you made a deliberate attempt to change your scenery? What did you experience or notice as a result?

I invite you to share your observations, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2026 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.