The Power of the Pause

I am conscious that as a global community we follow different calendars (like Lunar New Year) and therefore celebrate different year ends and new year’s. In the western part of the world, we are coming to the end of another year.  Whether or not it’s your year-end, it’s still a good time to take a moment to pause. The ability to pause, reflect and evaluate is one of the higher order metacognitive thinking skills that helps us to function, connect and keep growing.

An end of year signifies different things for different people. For some it’s a time of celebration and family togetherness, for others who celebrate their new year at a different time may see this time as simply a forced rest and relaxation. Some may already be on holiday, some maybe finishing work and working crazy hours to get things finished before the end of the year.

Whatever your situation even if this isn’t your New Year, chances are the world around you is getting a little louder and a little faster. And that makes it a good moment to pause, not for a flimsy resolution that is flippantly spoken but not actioned, but for a deeper look at what’s been happening, how you responded and what is shaping you and what if anything are you ready to change.

There are two parts to this process, and we often stop at the first. Reflecting is the first and the noticing part. This is where we acknowledge and identify circumstances.  Evaluating is the next step, the part where you decide what mattered, what you’d repeat, and what you’d change. As I mentioned earlier, metacognitively, this is  a higher order skill and one of the important skills we need to learn and practice to be able to function, maybe even survive, in a world that isn’t slowing down for anyone.  

The pace of change we are experiencing is getting faster and faster, we are constantly receiving notifications, information is quickly outdated, and we have to stay vigilant to questioning what we do hear and see. Knowing how much this affects us and how hard this is for us to cope with, means we have to recognise which skills support us and lean into to them to function on a daily basis. That’s why I’ve been interested in frameworks that focus on inner growth, not just outer productivity. One framework I’ve found helpful lately is the Inner Development Goals (IDG). The IDG organisation aims to educate and empower people to be a positive change in society, starting with themselves and those around them. The framework is a a way of naming the inner capacities we need if we’re going to live well in a complicated world and comprises of 5 dimensions being (relationship to self), thinking, relating (caring for others), collaborating and acting with 23 skills in total.

I was speaking to a colleague about how deeply I had to reflect and evaluate while writing a case study for a chapter for an edited book.  I mentioned that it was such a good exercise and one that I appreciated. To write the case study forced me to think deeper than normal about what my professional practice and actions were and more importantly why I made the decisions I did. In my role as a learning designer, this meant reflecting on what pedagogies I had chosen to embrace, what learning activities to implement and why. It’s the knowing why that made me feel good and gave me confidence. This confidence encouraged me to have similar conversations with other teaching staff.

One of the IDG framework skills that is pertinent to reflecting is appreciation and falls under the dimension of relating and caring for others in the world. When we appreciate what’s real, especially in relationships, we become less defensive. And when we’re less defensive, we’re more open. And when we’re more open, we can learn.

So wherever you are in your calendar, here’s my invitation. Take ten minutes and write down three relationships you’re grateful for and one specific thing you appreciate about each. Then ask yourself, what does that tell me about who I’m becoming. Once you’ve identified what this tells you about who you’re becoming, ask yourself:

• Is this who I want to continue becoming?
• If yes – what small action will I take this week to nurture that?
• If not – what one thing could I adjust?

Wishing you a wonderful new year with time to pause, reflect and evaluate

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