Have you noticed how challenging it’s become to simply pause?
The world just keeps spinning at a dizzying pace, heightening my longing for a break. How about you?
We’ve explored themes of heartbreak as a bridge to living deeply and powerfully in service of what you care about. to learning to navigate life’s inherent tensions by staying with discomfort and opening our hearts.
These explorations revealed the necessity to assess our Pace, an essential element of Pausing. We learned the need to recalibrate for what’s required by the situation at hand and to not get caught up in the rush and tumble of reacting.
Today, we’re diving deeper into two essential elements of an effective Pause: Openness and Connection.
Make A Deliberate Choice
Last week, I found myself staring at my computer screen, my shoulders tight, my breath shallow. My to-do list glared back at me accusingly.
I could feel the urge to either go head down and wrestle with the piece I was writing, in hopes of mastering it, or throw my hands up in frustration. Neither were appealing.
Instead of pushing through, I remembered to pause, closed my laptop, and laced up my sneakers for a walk.
As I stood on my porch overlooking the garden, watching squirrels move all herky-jerky, yet unhurried, up and down the trees, I felt the cool spring air fill my lung. I exhaled.
In that moment, something shifted.
Pat Schneider writes in How the Light Gets In:
“The moment we open ourselves to what is actually happening—not what we think should be happening or what we want to happen—but what is truly occurring in this very moment, we step into vastness.”
‘Vastness,’ arrived that morning when I dropped the merry-go-round of my stories – driven by fear, headlines, and frustration – to see what was in front of me in real time: the soft green of the spirea bush peeking up at me, the smooth edges of the soon-to-be open tulips jutting up, a cardinal’s clear, repetitive whistle in the distance. I smiled, the tightness in my chest released.
It’s a deliberate choice to feel more, not less.
Think about it: How often do you run right over what your body’s telling you? Or maybe, you don’t even hear what your body is saying.
The tension in your shoulders, the tightness in your chest, the sudden urge for a nap—these internal experiences signal to you that something important is at stake. You’re being asked to be present in your life at that moment.
Is the habit of being overly busy, caught up in a treasured story, or too attached to your immediate goal more important than feeling alive?
The risk of Openness is being confronted with how you’re living your life, today, and the discomfort that may result, as I discovered for myself on that morning last week.
A Deeper invitation
Feeling deeply is fundamental to being human—a cornerstone of our natural intelligence.
When we direct conscious attention to our in-the-moment experiences, we access wisdom that’s otherwise inaccessible.
Case in point, a client recently shared:
“I was in the middle of a tense board meeting when I noticed my jaw clenching and stomach tightening. Instead of pushing past it like I usually would, I paused and took a breath. I realized that I deeply disagreed with the direction we were heading. That pause gave me the clarity to voice the concerns I might have otherwise swallowed.”
The bottom line? Sensations and emotions tell us what we care about—and what action is required next. It’s ok, necessary even, to run our experiments of living, learn from them, pivot as necessary to live more deeply. To tap the wisdom.
From Openness to Connection
When openness becomes our practice, authentic connection naturally follows—connection to ourselves first, then to others, and the world around us.
After my walk, I felt refreshed, energized, and ready to go.
Today, there’s too much at stake to shut off, ignore, or minimize the wisdom of your sensing and energetic feeling self.
When you pause to truly feel, you open channels of connection that enrich your life and leadership.
The Openness Scan
This practice is a way to Pause and listen to your body’s innate intelligence.
1) Sit comfortably and take three deep breaths.
2) Notice areas of sensation or tension in your body.
3) Imagine those sensations speaking to you, the tight spaces softening, expanding. Choose to let go.
4) Visualize yourself as a container with permeable boundaries.
5) Ask: “Where am I holding resistance?”
Remember: Leadership is a felt experience. The more you can tune into your body’s wisdom, the more authentically you can show up for yourself and others.
Pausing isn’t a luxury—it’s how we metabolize our experiences and return to our most resourceful self.
Let me know if this resonates with you. I’m happy to give you some guidance on how to open up safely and connect more deeply. Reach out to me at DrChris@q4-consulting.com.
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ABOUT THE CREATOR OF The Leadership Pause
I’m Dr. Chris Johnson, I coach changemakers and leaders with practical tools to pause, feel, and zero in on their old strategies to renew their energy, extend compassion, make clear decisions, and create real change by using their power skills. Learn more at: Q4-Consulting.com
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