I believe in pausing
I am grateful that you set aside a competing distraction to read my reflections here. You practiced a pause to wholeheartedly engage with my post. Thank you!
I believe in building a pause into daily life for three reasons:
Reason #1
I have infinite capacity to ignore my well-being and say yes to things that don’t serve my greatest good. I can also easily say no to myself BEFORE someone can say no to my talent.
Why risk? Because a rocking horse seems a safe way to have fun. The carpet does wear out.
Pause and answer:
When I say yes to……, what am I saying no to?
This practice helps me show Maitri-a word in Sanskrit that means unconditional friendship to myself. So that I can continue to take complete ownership on how I wish to build my life.
There is incredible freedom in that. Think about that. We get to build a choice. This doesn’t mean that we don’t honor other people’s boundaries. This does mean that we get to define and build the world we aspire towards with and through other people.
Pause. 11 seconds will work
Reason #2
My gremlins are here to stay. My stories and experiences will always shape me. A pause helps us get in front of our stories. To engage with care and ask:
“What lie is being supported here?” What am I unwilling to set aside?
I don’t know about you, and I love my grudges. I like to sit and ruminate on my “If only’s and shoulds.” It feels so right and righteous. Until I fall hard.
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Pause to honor the strength and the accompanying blind spot sitting in the ego.
Share your story. Lean on a neighbor's wisdom. Ask for help.
Suddenly the gremlin shushes just enough. I might just be able to let things be!
Pause. 11 seconds will work
Reason #3
Untapped talent. This is within each of us. Few of us pay attention to all the things we’ve never tried because we don’t know enough…yet. A pause honors the uneven, complicated, generous flow of life.
Pause to say hello to your jiva-atma (essence).
“What is a deep yearning within?” “What is waiting to be welcomed in?” “How might I meander?”
Business problems have a common rhythm. Uncovering solutions today isn’t a checklist process. It is a collective endeavor.
Pause to listen to those inner stirrings and invite a conversation to listen to another’s inner stirrings. Build that heart connectedness.
Pause. 11 seconds will work
Those are my three reasons. I hope you are pausing just enough to say hmmm…
I invite your thoughts on your practice of noticing how you are showing up in your life.
As usual, you offer great insights that can change lives if you stop and listen. Great advice. Pause. I like your reasons too!
Sunitha Narayanan, you always amaze me with your deepness! These are the exact things we need in life. Life is fleeting and we think we fill it up with busyness, but what we are missing are the deep discussions, such as what you've written about in this article. Thank you for helping us pause... take in life... breathe... find ourselves and each other in the wonderful life-gaps of pausing. It is brilliant and oh, so necessary!
Thank you, Sunitha, for reminding me of the blessings in a pause! Your wisdom is always so perfectly timed!
Great insight. Thanks for sharing.
Sunitha...I am taking a Body Intelligence Course with Marcia Feola, Sharon Newport, and Lisa Silverberg.. Here are the words we are practicing when we Pause...perceive, acknowledge, unhook, use space, extend. Thought you might like that frame for PAUSE too.