“If, then, I were asked for the most important advice I could give, that which I considered to be the most useful to the men of our century, I should simply say: in the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you.” ~ Leo Tolstoy

One of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves is the permission to pause.

To lift our heads from the work that occupies our waking moments.

To give our minds a rest from the endless internal dialogue .

A moment to see, to breathe, to be, to rest.

Easier said than done you say?

You must give yourself permission.

An act of self-care.

Self-love.

The world will not end while you’re gone.

The pending requests can wait,

A little while longer.

They’ll be just fine.

Break the trance.

Take a moment.

This moment.

Our ego resists the call to pause. It urges us on with fears of missing out or losing momentum.

This can be a particular challenge for leaders who not only feel the pressure to perform from above but the responsibility to come through for those they lead. Add to this the demands of personal and family life, the pull of our internet / social media impulses and fear of falling behind and we are easily trapped.

Before we know it the days and years have passed us by.

Thousands of moments unnoticed.

We might as well walk through life wearing a blindfold.

Oblivious to all the important and beautiful things around us.

Lost in a fog.

Be intentional.

Practice getting up, walking away, stepping outside.

Refresh your mind, your heart, your spirit.

Stop.

And look around.

You may be surprised at what you’ve been missing.

And what you’ve been missing might just be the thing you, and the people you love and serve, need the most.

And on that note, I’m giving myself permission to take an extended pause for travel overseas. A time to rest and clear my mind. I will not be posting to this blog for the next 30 days. I’ll be back at it the week of June 13. It’s a hard thing for me to do but I know it’s what I need. I am deeply grateful for all who follow and support this work and I look forward to sharing with you again when I return. I believe that my time away will make space for new stories, ideas, and inspiration. I hope to see you then.