Something on your mind? Take a pause for your cause

American Psychologist, Carl Rogers once said that we already know the answers to our own problems. It’s a bold claim. And then there’s Sir Isaac Newton, who reportedly spent two hours a day sitting on a bench doing… nothing.

Whether or not you fully buy into either approach, I’ve come to believe this: taking a pause for your cause matters. Which, thinking about it, is essentially a combination of both of these.

But how does this play out in real life?

Let’s say you make a mistake. Mistakes happen of course, but they undoubtedly compound when we rush to fix them without understanding what we’re actually trying to fix. Taking a moment to just stop and think, rather than giving into the panic, gives a decent solution the time it needs to bubble up to the surface. The answer is there, you just need to allow yourself a pause to let it materialise.

Now, I get it, life is busy, life is loud (as I discussed in last week’s article that you can read here). So much is constantly coming at you, so much is expected of you and as a result, the idea of stillness – even just for a moment – feels like a luxury. But that stillness is often the thing that resets you and allows you to access the solution you need. You just have to give it the time and space to form fully in your consciousness.

You may not be convinced, but maybe the next time you walk past a bench, try sitting for a moment. Take in what’s around you, not what’s spiraling in your head and see what happens…