The Power of the Pause

The Power of the Pause

Have you ever unplugged?  You know, pressed pause, and stopped the music?

Doesn't that sound good?

Maria Shriver gave a commencement address recently and used the idea of “the power of the pause”.

When we press pause, several things are allowed room to sprout.

-We slow down. 

-We become aware of that particular moment in time. 

     Wow, living in the moment – what a fresh thought. 

-We put aside the “what’s coming next” syndrome for just a few minutes. 

-When we unplug, we sometimes find the doorway to our inner selves.  

     And if we dare  enter that sacred space, it could be a rich experience. 

-We could find an inner oasis – a place of peace, reverence, 

     understanding, solace, and yes, we might find God 

     waiting in that inner space. 

Gadgets are good, but so is solace on occasion.

Some notables down through history have practiced this withdrawal experience.  Christ often went to the mountains to be alone and pray.  Thoreau has his Walden Pond, Mother Teresa, Billy Graham and other spiritual giants have carved out time for their retreat experiences.

They stopped the 

outward journey 

and went within. 

Stephen Covey, in his book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, devotes a whole chapter to the concept of Take Time to Sharpen the Saw.

It’s something to think about for busy people like you.

I could give you an outline that I’ve used for my retreat times, but you are smart.  You can figure this out for yourself.  The most important thing is just do it.  Try it for 24 hours.  Go alone and be alone with your thoughts.  Be sure and take something to capture the ideas you generate

And drop me a line and let me know how it went. 

May peace be yours today.

P Michael Biggs

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