The Power of the Pause to Support Your Goals
I often write about the power of a pause. A pause is an intentional stop between any time frame. It can be helpful when an emotionally reactive situation is about to occur or when you feel overwhelmed. Here are other situations where a pause can help you find clarity and help you set your goals.
Pause between seasons
Seasons are a natural transition for us each year. As the environment changes temperature, external elements unfold to move us forward. Those seasonal transitions are also a good time to evaluate your goals. This is instead of an annual assessment, think about a 90-day pause and assessment. Questions you can ask yourself as you pause are:
- What worked?
- What happened to make this work?
- What’s next?
These reflections give you an opportunity to course-correct or amplify your efforts.
Pause when there are life transitions
Life transitions, such as moving, job changes, or family losses can be happy or sad. We may want to barrel through and get to the other side of that transition. A pause can help all types of support. It can be with emotional support therapy or coaching. Addressing your emotions and finding additional support can offer clarity and move you forward. You can add to your team knowing the support you need. A bigger team might include a cleaning person at home,
Initiate a strategic pause
An intentional strategic pause helps you at home and at work. Strategic meetings offer clarity in all forms. A family board meeting or annual summit with time together, away from home, talking about family values, connects families with communication and cohesiveness. Your business hosts an annual strategic planning meeting to interpret data from last year and know the next steps.
Pause for self-care
More people are speaking about their needs for a pause. If you have been moving at warp speed or feeling out of sorts because of the speed of life, here is permission for you to speak what you need when you need it. “Slowing down before jumping to action can set you on a much more meaningful path to action.” You will be all the better for responding in a way that is authentic to you and your values.
Here is your first step to empowering your pause. That is knowing when a pause is valuable for you. I encourage you to take a few minutes now and jot a few ideas down.
We have friends who used to take a weekend away “pause” every year to talk and pray about their kids. I thought this was just wise, setting aside this time for reflection and planning.
Terrific idea to intentionally apply this pause idea to our lives, and if you can get away from the normal routine, I think it can be particularly effective. Even if it is just an overnight!
@Seana – so powerful for you and your friends to be intentional about pauses that contribute to more strategic thinking!
I’m a big fan of the “pause.” They are helpful during any life transition, change of seasons, when feeling overwhelmed, or when emotions are running high. There are times when I feel off. Pausing to reflect and not do helps me to reset. I also like to pause during my day. That helps me do deep focus work, break, and return refreshed.
@Linda we are on the same page! When I feel that life is moving too quickly, I take a pause to help regroup and reset.