The ad campaign for Coke in the 20’s was, “It’s the Pause That Refreshes”. Kind of like stopping to smell the roses. Just like Kevin Cashman states in his book “The Pause Principle” we need to go slower to go faster. We need to stop to move ahead. We need to pause to reflect.
So often I find myself coaching my clients to pause, stop and reflect. To embrace serendipity. To be more spontaneous. And always, to seize the moment, all with the end goal being the ability to start something new, create something different, or gain the clarity required to push forward. Sometimes it’s a simple walk in the park, a yoga class, or a bubble bath. Other times it’s an all out escape from the day to day business of life. Now, here I was, deciding whether I would take my own advice.
Ok. I’m not going to lie. On the first of the month, I called a friend to schedule a book signing at a club that I used to be a member of out in Colorado. I asked Hanna what was new exciting and she told me that she and a small group were going on a trip to Napa and Sonoma, and why don’t I join them? When I asked the departure date, she said the 12th,of same month. The brain went into high gear. How could I figure this one out, I asked myself?
Having just come off a whirlwind of appointments, engagements and program development, I looked at the calendar and realized that if I could move a few things around that week, (which included a Monday holiday), I might actually be able to swing it.
Here I was, foodie, gourmand and wine connoisseur, being offered the opportunity to spend time in an intimate group setting of friends, in a beautiful place, which I hadn’t visited in 20 years. More importantly, I could take some time to refresh, re-create and pause to reflect.
I did what I always do when I have a significant choice to make. I slept on it, and the next morning I called Hanna and shouted out a big YES to her!
What came out of that pause that refreshed was being in a beautiful place, fun and laughs with friends,lots of great wine tastings,and tons of delicious meals with fodder for my own entertaining. Best of all, the pause that refreshed stoked the creative fire that gave me my idea for the title of the third book of my Dude trilogy. It was worth the journey 3000 miles west, just for that.
