Embracing Life's Strategic Pauses

a blueprint for growth and renewal

Whether you listen to the VoiceOver for accessibility, because you’re more of an auditory learner or so you can grab some movement while we’re together—it will consistently be an option.

Photo by julien Tromeur on Unsplash

As we consistently pursue success and personal growth (however we individually define) and remain accountable to the things in life we *must* do—it’s all too easy to get tangled in a whirlwind of constant activity.

Activity which appears productive because we are in perpetual motion, but which in reality is not.

Sure, the ‘motion’ often provides needed stimulus, yet rest or intermissions allow for the integration of what we have experienced.

And, if I’ve learned anything from my 30+ years in weight room (poor dead equine I shall proceed to flog you—I’ve learned *everything* in the weight room ), it’s a perfect parallel to life.

We grow in the pause.

💪 When we lift weights is not when we create muscle

Resilience building

Like muscles that grow stronger and more resilient after planned rest days, our ability to bounce back from life-challenges and experiences is fortified during strategic pauses.

These purposeful breaks offer opportunities for reflection and learning, enabling us to navigate future obstacles with newly acquired wisdom and composure. Embracing the strategic pause becomes a powerful tool for developing mental and emotional resilience (…and biceps).

💪 We don’t get stronger *during* the workout

Self-discovery

FACT: We can only lift as much as we are capable of lifting when we enter the weight room on any given day. And, as we PUHT & PTBD during that session, we grow weaker through the sets as our goal is to become so weak we eventually FAIL. 

Failure in weightlifting isn't a negative outcome—it's something we pursue as an opportunity for growth and improvement.

When we hit the point of weight training failure our needed rest period is not a cessation of progress, but a vital component of the transformative process.

Likewise, when we allow ourselves moments of stillness and reflection in life, we are not stagnating we are opening the door to self-awareness.

Pauses, from journaling to meditation, offer moments not merely of rest they pave the way for self-discovery.

Intermissions, where we seize the stillness to gather with learned clarity our aspirations and dreams, ultimately lead to a more authentic and purposeful life.

💪 We require rest to repair and GROW.

Rejuvenation

When we take rest periods or rest days from the weight room we allow our muscles to repair and grow stronger.

When we seize strategic pauses in life is also when rejuvenation happens.

Deliberate breaks in life (mental health days, lunchtime in nature, going to bed early!) provide space to recharge. Intermissions become the catalysts for renewed energy and a refreshed perspective, setting the stage for personal growth.

Will too much rest/sporadic picking up of those heavy things cause us to remain weak? Yep.

Sure, I’m being hyperbolic, but you get what I’m going for.

We rejuvenate through planned rest when we allow muscle-fibers and life-fibers adequate time to repair…and then git back to it.

We all need intermissions to reconnect with our mission

I believe in and have experienced the powerful parallel between the strategic pauses we require in life and the rest periods in weightlifting which also facilitate growth.

Intermissions are not interruptions.

Intermissions are essential chapters in the consistent story of our lives.

We grow in the pause.

We grow in the pause.

We grow in the pause.

What are 2 specific pauses or intermissions you could begin to implement into your day or week starting now?