The Power of the Pause

The Power of the Pause.

The leadership Law of Reflection teaches us that learning to pause allows growth to catch up with us. This morning in my reflection time, I continued to think about what I learned from this last year.  I finished reading through last year's journal and know what attitudes and beliefs I want to take forward into 2021. There are also some beliefs and resulting behaviors that need to be left behind.

There is an old joke that experience is a hard teacher because the test is given first and the lesson is given afterward. Ha. Ha. After a huge problem or challenge, it is so easy for me to say, "I am sooooo glad that's over! Whew!"  I have found that a much better thing to say is, "What can I learn from it?"  If we don't take the time to pause and evaluate or reflect on the experience, we may never learn the lesson intended for us. My friend and mentor, Paul Martinelli, always says that the curriculum for our growth is right in front of us. AND it's reflection that often allows us to discover the changes we can make that will improve our lives. 

"Experience is not the best teacher...evaluated experience is." John Maxwell.

As leaders, most of us are so busy trying to keep up with the demands of our lives, that we don't take the time to reflect on our lives. We are so action oriented that we neglect to take the time to think. Some times we can miss what John calls "life markers." These are important events that can really signal a time for transition, change or transformation. We can miss the significance of these experiences for us.

Lack of reflection can also cause us to not learn from a failure or mistake.  If we don't learn from those, we can repeat them. An evaluated failure or mistake can transform into a valuable learning tool. Our failures and mistakes can actually make us better!

Reflecting on our successes, blessings and on the things we did right, can make us happy. Reflecting on the good in our lives also makes us grateful. Being grateful causes joy! Without reflecting on the good we've done, it's easy for us to forget about our successes and focus on our failures.

Pausing with intention expands and enriches our thinking. Study the lives of people who have had tremendous impact on the world and you will find that many of them spent a considerable amount of time thinking.

Steve Jobs took time in the morning, no matter what time he woke up to re-evaluate his work and desires. He looked in the mirror and asked, "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" If the answer was "no" for far too long, he would change something.

Benjamin Franklin would eat dinner at 5:00, listen to music, have quiet conversation and then reflect on his day before going to bed at 10:00.

Find a place to think and discipline yourself to find the power of the pause, even if it's a small block of time. It has the potential to change your life and can help you figure out what's really important and what isn't.

Take time to pause this week. What were some of the blessings from 2020 which you can pull forward into this next year? There's got to be some. What were some of your "life markers" that you discovered in 2020? How are you going to change so you can thrive in 2021 no matter what 2021 looks like?  Find the power of the pause. 

I wish you many blessings in 2021,

Jan 

Jan McDonald
The John Maxwell Team

For more leadership tips, find me on Facebook @janmariemcdonald