The power of the pause

On directing the rate and speed of change

“Sometimes the next right step is to pause.”

~ Octavia Raheem

There are a lot of metaphors that come up when you are talking about change. Some of them reflect roads, or the sea, or a train, or a tunnel. Ultimately, these metaphors are conveying that change is a journey, a process, a catharsis. They convey motion.

So, how fast will we get there? When will we get there? Are we there yet?

When we are dedicated and / or passionate about something, we want it to happen. And usually, there is the implicit desire for it to happen now. We want the change.

This is not a post about the importance of change. This is not a post about the value of change.

This is a post about the rate and speed of change.

Many moons ago, I worked at an organization that was change-centric. There was a lot to do to actualize the vision for the organization. And the Administration reminded us regularly that we were there to do it! In the beginning, there was excitement and enthusiasm across the organization. But - yes, you were probably anticipating the “but” - overtime, and across the organization, enthusiasm was overshadowed by frustration. Excitement was overtaken but exhaustion. Initiative fatigue set it.

This is not only an organizational phenomenon.

Working on yourself can result in similar fatigue. Whether you are working through challenges, building new habits, reimagining your relationship to something, navigating transitions, or even adjusting to a new diet - there’s a lot involved.

Add to that whatever kind of initiative fatigue you might be experiencing professionally. Oh yeah, and then there’s the pandemic. And geo-political upheaval. And the climate crisis.

If you feel like it is a lot - too much - you are not alone. We see this fatigue and overwhelm acknowledged and addressed in just about any popular magazine, the podcast space, and even across the world of work. The Harvard Business Review recently posted an article that acknowledges this feeling and offers readers techniques for “Leading an Exhausted Workforce.”

Yes, exhaustion is real.

Whether your initiative is professional, personal, spiritual, or physical, I know how it feels to want to be part of change. To want to perform. To want to achieve. And to be exhausted. The question is how might we align our capacities with the change, performance, or achievement we desire.

“But,” you might be saying, “I don’t control the rate or speed of change. Or the outcomes demanded. Or the performance of my team.” I hear you. There are many ways in which we might not feel, or might not have, agency or authority. I didn’t have that at that organization. I was assigned work and had to get it done. On time. With a team. On budget. Period.

Yes. And…..what happens if we widen our gaze.

That is where the rate and speed of change comes in to play.

Let’s continue with our journey metaphor. Think about an airplane’s cockpit. The control panel includes many dials and levers and buttons to use to make things happen. Life is like that too. There are many possibilities available to us to tinker with. Dare I even say, to play with.

“But I’m tired,” you might be saying.

Enter Octavia Raheem’s book Pause, Rest, Be. While following her on Insta, the importance and potency of rest came in to view. Some of her reminders are simple. Some of them felt seismic. I noticed that there was a tacit connection to the kind of contributions I admire and value. This became the most visible when I say her post that simply read “Sometimes the next right step is to pause.”

A breath on that.

The power of the pause.

I’ve heard this from leaders across industries and have come to think that it is probably the threshold to leadership: knowing that there is power in the pause.

The pause changes the rate and speed of change - for you.

The pause brings many gifts, first among them is space. With space comes discernment, connection, curiosity.

The pause brings us the chance to ask ourselves questions:

• What is available to me?

• What do I need?

• Am I connected to what needs doing?

• What is the most important thing right now?

The pause changes the gaze. It brings us the opportunity to scan:

• How do I feel?

• What is the most important thing here?

• Is this enough?

• When might I be able or ready to put this down?

Where is that pause?

One scroll up the screen I asked you to take a breath. Did you see that?

That was the pause.

Each breath is an opportunity to pause. It is an opportunity to connect with you. With your initiative. With your effort. With your priorities. With your capacities. With your sense of agency, authority, and accomplishment.

This is a post about the rate and speed of change. Many of us can’t control the external forces and determinants of our professional or even personal obligations. But with that pause - however you might find it - the dials to control your self, your capacity, and your contribution materialize.

Take a breath. What do you see?