Power of the Pause

Sometimes, I forget as I drift to my pattern of pushing hard in most aspects of my life. Last week, I received a gentle reminder to slow down and rest, by someone who keeps a close watch over me. It was most welcomed and very timely.

Having spent 20 years in two careers that required me to be constantly on, chasing my next placement or filling my pipeline to higher education where the expectations were unsustainable; layer on life happening and eventually I hit burnout. There was no time to pause.

We live in a culture where we are starving for stillness and silence. Sadly, the world is not going to slow down and get less noisy simply because we want or need it to. We have to commit to finding those mindful moments and take the time to pause.

Here are a 7 suggestions of where you may be able to incorporate a pause throughout your day:

~ pause, before responding vs reacting
~ pause, before making assumptions
~ pause, before judging
~ pause, when in doubt
~ pause, to get curious
~ pause, to gain perspective
~ pause, to create spaciousness

I’ve grown to appreciate that pausing is truly a golden moment in life and leadership.