Being in my mid-twenties is, shall we say, a learning experience. Those of you who are wise and in your thirties are nodding your heads, murmuring, "I feel your pain, girl." And for those of you still in school, who dream of blissful post-grad life...you'll find out soon enough. While I often struggle with feeling confused, lost, inadequate, and immature, I sometimes notice a nugget of self-growth - evidence of naturally-evolving maturity that reassures me that I am, in fact, growing up.
One such nugget is something I describe as "the power of pause". It's that second you take before saying something, to ask yourself, "Is this really necessary? Will what I'm about to say contribute in a significant, positive way?" Over the past year or so, I've found myself unconsciously taking these pauses more and more, and when I ask myself those questions, the answer is usually no.
Now that I'm aware of it, I try to pause more often than not. Before commenting on a random Facebook post, or hitting "reply all" on a mass email, or running to a coworker to share the latest gossip, I take a moment to think. Those tiny moments of self-editing, cutting out some of the noise, have also helped give me clarity on who I am, and what's important to me.
Do you practice taking little pauses?
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