The Power of the Pause
“Our life is March weather, savage and serene in one hour.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
The swings of March are everywhere.
It’s the month of extremes.
Between winter and spring.
Between short days and long ones.
Between beauty and sickness.
Between hibernation and full.on.busy.
Between anticipation and disappointment.
March is the gateway to new beginnings – it comes fast and not everyone is ready.
Here’s what March brings up for me and the clients in our circles:
🆕 January: You’re dialed into what’s new, exciting and hopeful. You’re at the starting block and with 11 months ahead to work with.
🥈 February: One month in and you’re still in some form of hibernation. You’re processing what 2024 feels like and recommitting to what mattered in January. You’ve got 10 months to work with.
🌦️ March: All of a sudden, it’s ON. Spring breaks are staggered throughout the month and it’s hard to get grounded in routine. You’ve landed on the runway to spring and everything is in fast forward.
“Only those with tenacity can march forward in March.”
― Ernest Agyemang Yeboah
March can cause a lot of this 😵💫:
- Uh oh.
- Where am I?
- Am I behind?
- How am I tracking with what I wanted 2024 to be for me? My team? My family?
Everything feels FAST.
This is the moment, when the opposite of fast, is what we need most.
At the end of a season, quarter, or project, we need SLOW. Followed by a huge dose of curiosity.
- Where are we right now? Really?
- What do we need more of? Less of?
- What would help us create that?
My husband is always telling me to slow down. There is nothing harder for me AND I know he’s right. Too much pace causes me to drop and miss things. Depth and joy included.
I got called to jury duty this week. First time ever. Sitting in a jury box for an entire day is an incredible exercise. There was full permission to listen and be present with only what’s in front of you.
Jury duty is countercultural, frustrating, AND a great teacher.
Pausing and taking in one thing at a time makes us so much smarter. And calm. And centered. We’re able to get and create more going deep on one thing at a time than from the spin of shorts, texts, and posts.
Pausing and reflecting is a form of the slow productivity (link) we talked about earlier this month. We don’t create anything great when we’re speeding through our work, relationships, and life.
Reflection drives learning, growth, and advancement. It forces us to evaluate what we’re doing in case we need to change course. It cements learning.
So I’m wondering – are we just waiting on the permission? For someone important to tell us to slow down and go ALL IN on the most important questions no one else is going to ask us?
Reflection isn’t easy. It’s also required to get us what we want most. So sometimes we need a partner in the process. I know I do.
Is that you, too? If so, email me at [email protected] and let me know. I’d love to help.
We DO have the tenacity for conquering March. Let’s do it together.