Take a break and Vespa through VUCA

Switch off your phone. Rent a scooter and Vespa through VUCA like a tourist exploring the Mediterranean. All work and no play not only makes Jack a dull boy, it makes Jack an inefficient boy too. We know that taking a break is a good thing, that’s what December holidays are made for. But your mind and body need more breaks, more often. How about taking mini-holidays every day?

“The faster we go, the slower we need to be.”  – Peter Senge PhD

What is the purpose of brakes in cars?  

To enable cars to go faster.  Without brakes, a car can never operate with the needed speed.  We also need to find our ways to “stop”, it’s the only way to make sure this engine can perform in a sustainable way and even speed up when needed.  And be happier (running smoothly) in the process.

Pushing the pause button, even if only for a few seconds, allows us the space to interrupt our reactive and habitual ways, to make new and more informed, more effective, and more conscious choices. Without the pause, there may or may not be awareness, but awareness and choice are not the same. 

“Mindfulness is a pause, the space between stimulus and response. That is where choice lies.” – Tara Brach

Noticing our moments of not working, has wonderful benefits. It’s like hitting the restart button. It is a pause with a purpose, done purposefully. Here is a few possible Purposeful Pause moments and suggestions:  

• Observing how you are making coffee / tea.
• Greeting another person. 
• Before you start your car / as you get into public transport.
• When you get into bed at night.
• Before you get out of bed in the morning.
• Once you dished a plate of food and you sit down, ready to eat.
• Before you just press “send and receive” on a device.
• Log in to a virtual session 5 min before the time.  Just be there, in purposeful anticipation.
• Interacting with animals.  See what happens when you purposefully pause before you give them attention
• Pause, Pour, Pause. Opening a new bottle of wine (or your favourite drink), purposeful pour and then pause.  Come back to your senses.  Get human…

More to explore:

More about the purposeful pause on this website

Whats working taking a pause to lead with excellence

Can A Mindful Leadership Purposeful Pause Give You 20/20 Vision? (forbes.com)