THE POWER OF THE PAUSE
It often feels like the whole world is in a hurry.
In a rush to get somewhere and in a rush to return back home. Fast walking on city sidewalks, speeding through the streets, talking on updated technology, connected to 5G because 4G was just too darn slow. The client, the boss, the team need an answer immediately, and often all at the same time. Parents are hurrying children to bed, to school, and before you know it the kids are in their own hurry to get out of the house and off to college.
I have recently come to appreciate the power of the pause; the point of the space between.
Taking a step away can diffuse a tense situation, and calm down the anxiety or anger building up inside of you. When we allow ourselves a moment to pause, we gain clarity and confidence in what we would like to do next. I am sure many of us can recall times when we wished we would have taken a breather before we sent off that snippy, sloppy or defensive email.
Pressing the pause button can give a situation some space to breathe. Time gives us the opportunity to consider different perspectives and it can produce alternative approaches that couldn’t be seen when blinded by the need for speed. Recently I stepped away from an escalating email conversation and decided to let it marinate. By the time I returned to my inbox the next morning, others had taken the conversation in a different, yet productive, direction. All I did was step away.
When we are not rushing to fill the empty space in conversations, we become better listeners. Becoming comfortable with the sounds of silence in our exchanges, gives us time to open our minds and be thoughtful with both our questions and our responses. There is a lot to learn about ourselves and each other in the moments of silence and stillness.
While we are busy chasing the high of the hustle, we are missing out on these benefits of slowing things down. In the days ahead, give yourself permission to take a minute, or all the minutes you need, to enhance your spirit, thoughts and actions. You have so much to gain from embracing the power of the pause.
Matty had a beloved teacher in high school, that would jokingly sing to those who arrived late to class, “Slow down you move too fast, you got to make the morning last.” This was the opening line of Simon and Garfunkel’s’ “59th Street Bridge Song”. What an excellent tune to listen to when you want to step away, slow down, and well….feel groovy.
