The Power in the Pause
In ancient poetry and song, there’s a word that appears like a gentle whisper: Selah.
It translates loosely as pause — to stop, to breathe, to let what’s just been said truly land.
Whether or not the word is familiar, the experience is universal. It’s the exhale after a long stretch of effort. The stillness where clarity begins to rise. The space where our inner voice finally has a chance to be heard.
Yet in modern life, we rarely give ourselves permission to pause. Our calendars stay full. Our to-do lists refill as quickly as we cross things off. Our sense of worth often becomes tied to what we produce instead of who we are.
The heart of it is this: there is power in the pause.
My Own Pause
I just returned from a stretch of vacation after one of the busiest professional seasons I’ve had in a long while. At first, it was hard to even slow down. My body still carried the pace of deadlines, meetings, and constant demands.
But as the days unfolded, something began to shift.
✨ Morning coffee walks reminded me that presence doesn’t need to be complicated.
✨ Time with my family filled me with laughter and joy that no inbox or meeting can provide.
✨ Quiet mornings in my home felt both grounding and restorative.
✨ Conversations with friends reconnected me to parts of myself beyond the role of “professional.”
None of these moments were grand or extraordinary. They were simple, almost ordinary. And yet, in their simplicity, they carried extraordinary power.
Maybe what’s needed most isn’t more doing, but more space to let life catch up with us.
Why Pausing Matters for Leadership
We’ve been conditioned to believe that constant motion equals progress. Yet sustainable leadership asks us to remember: without pause, we can’t lead with perspective or clarity.
Pause offers three vital gifts:
Perspective – When we pause, we zoom out. We see the bigger picture instead of getting stuck in the grind of the urgent.
Clarity – Pause helps us reconnect to our values, to the “why” behind the work, not just the “what” in front of us.
Renewal – Pause restores the energy we need to lead sustainably, so that we’re not leading from depletion but from abundance.
What I’ve found is that when leaders honor the pause, they don’t just serve themselves — they model a healthier rhythm for everyone around them.
How to Build Micro-Pauses Into Daily Life
Not every pause requires a plane ticket or week away. In fact, the most transformative pauses are often woven into the everyday.
Morning ritual: Let your first sip of coffee or tea be unhurried. Breathe with it. Taste it. Begin the day on your terms.
Midday reset: Step away from your desk. Take a short walk. Let your body move and your mind clear.
Evening reflection: Before reaching for your phone or TV remote, sit with a journal or simply notice one thing you’re grateful for from the day.
Transitions: Between meetings, close your eyes for 60 seconds. Breathe. Let one thing end before another begins.
These micro-pauses don’t take you off course. They keep you aligned with it.
An Invitation
As I step back into this next season of work and leadership, I feel more grounded, more clear, and more ready — not because I pushed harder, but because I paused.
Perhaps the more powerful truth is this: pause is not wasted time. It’s where wisdom grows.
So I invite you to ask yourself:
👉 Where do I need to make room for pause?
👉 What might I rediscover about myself, my work, or my relationships if I gave myself that gift?
A Cor & Kin Reflection
Take out your journal and try this:
“If I gave myself permission to pause more often, what might become possible?”
Let yourself sit with that question. No rushing. No editing. Just breathe, write, and see what surfaces.
Because sometimes the most courageous leadership move isn’t pushing forward — it’s pausing long enough to let what truly matters rise to the surface.