The Incredible Power of a Productive Pause.
Just Pause for a Moment. Are you still on track?
In a world that increasingly asks us to move faster, and do more to be effective, the idea that what you actually need to do every now and then is stop seems counterproductive. However, knowing when to engage is just as important as knowing when to disengage.
A purposeful pause is exactly what you need if you constantly demand more from your brain. According to research, the brain gradually stops registering a sight, sound or feeling if that stimulus remains constant over time.
Take action right now to reflect, to slow down, to disconnect, to pause.
Instead of taking time to pause, reflect, and reassess, many people repeatedly run head-first into the same issues, crash and suffer burn out. Are you still moving in the direction of your goal, dream or vision? Are your daily, weekly and monthly goals still leading you towards your bigger goal?
Roopleen once said, “Whatever phase of life you are in, make time to pause and reflect where you are heading to”.
Pausing to ask yourself what, how, and why you are doing things can be exactly what you need in order to resume forward progress. It pays to take a pause on purpose and reflect on how far you’ve come. A pause. A breath. A moment to take stock. To realign your form. Your focus. Your purpose. “Life is a dash. Pause in the present. Enjoy this moment.” says J.R. Rim Pausing allows you to bring your whole self into your work and life. It helps you spend your time on the things that matter most to you. The time you think you waste taking your pause will benefit your productivity.
Your brain needs downtime to recover. A growing body of evidence shows that taking regular breaks from mental tasks improves creativity, and memory. Skipping breaks can lead to stress, exhaustion, and creative block. Writers, artists, and creators in any field, all recommend a distance away from their work, before they revisit it.
Take a pause before it’s necessary. Take a disciplined pause.
Terry Hershey writes in his book, The Power of Pause, “While waiting for perfect, we pass on ordinary. While waiting for better, we don’t give our best effort to good. While waiting for new and improved, we leach the joy right out of the old and reliable.” He suggests that we pause and notice those ordinary moments. They are morsels with joy hidden deep within.
When you begin to routinely take a few moments to intentionally stop, you can begin to notice when you are living your life on autopilot. It pays to withdraw to a place within yourself momentarily where you can re-fuel, re-new and reflect.
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. “ Viktor Frankl
When you take that gorgeous pause you create space. In that pause , a whole world of options opens up to you. You don’t have to react in your automatic, habitual way. You can respond to this person , or this crisis, on this day, in this moment, instead of resorting to knee jerk reactions based on faulty assumptions and incomplete information.
Pause to reflect.
Pause to feel progress.
Pause to create.
Pause to think.
Pause to take control.
Pausing is the space that can be created in the midst of turmoil. When in doubt, pause!
When taking the time to pause, many things may be revealed to us - joy, happiness, sorrow, anger, peace, gratitude, compassion and more. By all means pause.Your total well-being and success depends on it.
Press pause today and get yourself back on track.
