Photo by Sarah Mutter on Unsplash
By: Stella Orange
Change can be like a roundabout.
When I was young, my family lived in Paris, France. Every Sunday, we attended church by the Seine river. Afterwards, my dad would sometimes take us out to lunch at Pizza Hut (hey, don’t judge!). To get to there, the route took us around the Arc de Triomphe.
Now, the Arc de Triomphe is the queen of roundabouts. There’s something like a dozen boulevards (including the Champs Élysées) and smaller streets radiating from her hub out into the rest of the city.
Where the other drivers entering the roundabout would yield to cars already in it, my dad had other ideas.
He thought it was great fun to go round and round and round several times before taking the road that led to, well… Pizza Hut. #dadhumor
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The thing about roundabouts is that you come in on one road and leave on another.
You’re moving forward, but not often “straight ahead.” Because a roundabout isn’t a straightaway. There is a turning. A shift of direction.
And sometimes, like my family’s minivan, you can find yourself going around and around and around… moving, surely, but not moving any closer to your desired destination.
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I bring this up because lately, Rebecca and I have been doing some fabulous work for a series of clients who found themselves in one of these Roundabouts of Change.
They’ve come asking questions like:
- “Things are changing – where am I called to be now? What am I called to do now?”
- “Things are changing – I’ve been doing this summit/event/offer for umpteen years, but the old way is done. It doesn’t feel good anymore. How can we do it differently?”
- “Things are changing – I want to do THIS, but I can’t quite see the way forward. Can you help me see it clearly?”
The road they came in on isn’t the road that they’ll leave on. They aren’t on a straightaway. There is a turning. A shift of direction.
(One might even say a discernment, refinement, or a distillation, if one were a word nerd.)
And so, it’s occurred to us that maybe you find yourself in a moment where change is imminent and emerging in your business, too. And perhaps you would appreciate knowing that we are particularly adept at accompanying people as they move through these moments.
And perhaps, this letter finds its way to you in a moment where you don’t just appreciate knowing this – you want to connect with us and see what’s there.
Hot diggity! Yes, we’d love to talk with you! If we haven’t met yet, let’s! If you’re considering hiring help, let’s talk about what it could look like for us to work together! All our work is custom, based on what you want and need. We can work together for a short time or across time for as long as it’s of service. Email Jane at hello@lasperegrinas.org to inquire.
Stella is cofounder and copywriter at Las Peregrinas, a creative and consulting agency. As our resident word nerd, she writes copy and points out the stories everyone is living and telling through their work. She is also fun at parties.
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