The Power of Pause
Hello! And welcome to my very first blog post – ever!
Like a lot of new bloggers before me, I suspect, I am sitting here poised, ready at my PC wondering where to start, hoping for inspiration to flood to my fingertips so that I can “wow” you, dear reader, with my amazing writing skills and witty repartee, while imparting some highly useful content that will revolutionise your leadership.
I Google ‘how to write the perfect first blog’: how to introduce myself, explain my purpose in blogging, begin our relationship, my hopes for us ……. And several false starts later, I am still stumped. My attention gets drawn to the beautiful autumn scene outside my window, I take one look at my little dog, and I suddenly know what to do...
...WALK!
I absolutely love walking. As for many people I find it does wonders for my body, mind and spirit. It takes a lot to beat getting on one’s boots and striding out into the open air to clear the head of clutter, chatter and pent up creativity. And when I look around me from my favourite hilltop, I see only peace and perfection: the natural order of our amazingly flawed world and the certainty of knowing that everything is just as it should be.
And today, from my hilltop, I am struck by another paradox: the power in my walking is also about the Power of Pause.
PAUSE
Pausing enables us to stop and take notice; to step back from the day to day, minute by minute pressures, and reflect on what is really going on, what we really want to achieve, and how we really want to impact on our world. Pausing enables us to ask what our true role is, how to empower ourselves - and others - to be at our best in the roles we are supposed to play. Pausing helps us to filter out what’s important and to recognise where our real business lies. Pausing generates high quality energy and thinking, increasing our resilience as leaders and our ability to deal with challenge and complexity.
Pause creates space for ourselves and for others.
And this, dear leader, is what I want for you.
Whether you walk, sing, meditate, or drop by to take some inspiration from something I offer up in these pages, I invite you to create time and space to focus on you: to empty your mind of all the day to day demands on you, and then to reflect on what’s important for you and your leadership.
I look forward to walking and talking with you on the journey ahead.