When Pausing is Unpopular

For years I have been a world traveller. Work hard at home, play hard when I travel. With multiple iterations of work that have always been oriented to others in my life and community, travel presented this space to be with myself and a crowd of strangers or the vast beauty of nature. It stimulated my creativity, re-centered my soul, and had a way of pushing reset on my perspective.

When I launched Curiousitory, it was born out of the gift life had given me - one that lived an everyday life with people from all around the world, and that took intentional steps back from the workaholic lifestyle to rest and reset. I wanted to share that life with others, invite them into a pacing of life that continues to invest meaningfully in their day-to-day life's work and relationships, but doesn't not allow work to dictate their life, or their immediate surroundings to dictate their full life perspective.

Little did I know that in the twists and turns of life, I would become one of the most important recipients of this crucial invitation. Several months ago, I took on a new job that is the epitome of all-encompasing. The demands are coming from every direction, and each evening is triple-booked. I glimpse at the remnants of this business I started, and wonder each time if it's time to shut it down. Yet immediately on the heels of that question, I'm reminded of why I started it in the first place. I have stepped into a living, breathing test case of how these principles hold up when life demands your everything.

Thanks to the principles I put in place with this model, when I was weary today, I knew exactly what I needed to do: I know my reset space. So when sitting on the couch and watching a movie sounding enticing, I forced myself to instead accept my weariness as an invitation for a reset: the day trip. Change the scenery, the sounds, the people, and the overall sensory experience. The impact is profound. Hours later, you find yourself back to living instead of just existing in a narrative everything else is demanding of you.

Next time you find yourself weary, and everything in your mind and body are alerting you it's time to push pause, listen. Then (this is very important), stay present for the transition from living according to externally-motivated sets of pressures and expectations that put your mind on a hamster wheel into being present. Turn off the music and let yourself be uncomfortable. Let yourself ask whether or not you should be pushing pause, and keep reminding yourself the value is worth the price. And minute by minute, mile by mile, you will find it falling off, and yourself re-emerging.

My life is busier and more demanding than ever, yet the power of the rythyms of rest and reset are experienced as more powerful than ever:

• Daily Breath

• Weekly Sabbath

• Monthly Getaway

• Trimesterly Pause

I am committing myself to doing this with you over the next six months. Will you join me not only in the commitment, but in paying attention to the difference it makes in your life?