Pause

Pause — a simple 5-letter word that holds profound power and wisdom. Pausing can feel counterintuitive, even uncomfortable. We’re conditioned to always be in motion, to fill every moment with activity and productivity.

But what if I told you that allowing yourself to pause—to take intentional breaks and moments of stillness—can unlock new levels of creativity, problem-solving, and personal growth?

A pause is not merely a stop or an ending. It’s a conscious suspension, a strategic inhale between exhales. It creates space for reflection, rejuvenation, and gaining new perspectives that are so easily missed when we’re in constant drive mode.

When you pause, you give your mind a chance to hit the “reset” button to clear out the mental clutter and fatigue that can accumulate from always being “on.” You allow your subconscious mind the freedom to work behind the scenes, making new neural connections and spinning strategic solutions you may have overlooked.

Pausing gives you the priceless gift of presence—the ability to be fully engaged in the current moment rather than always looking ahead to the next task or dwelling on the past. It opens you up to notice the small beauties and joys that typically escape our awareness in the whirlwind pace of day-to-day life.

But pausing isn’t just about taking breaks. Pausing prevents stubborn persistence down unfruitful paths and frees you to approach challenges from new vantage points.

In many ways, the pause is the underrated key to unlocking our creative genius, problem-solving prowess, and ability to grow as human beings. It may feel counterintuitive, but that’s likely because its wisdom contradicts our cultural conditioning around productivity.

You can’t overcome or accomplish some things in life without overcoming or accomplishing something prior. Even if your goals align with the first one as your goal, you will never be able to achieve them if you are leaning into resistance.

In the last two weeks, I have been creating something, but I hit a roadblock. I didn’t intentionally try to overcome the roadblock; instead, I pivoted to tackle the creation of another “something.” Pivoting is a form of adapting.

Adaptability is essential to navigating life’s challenges and pursuing our goals. When we hit a roadblock, it’s easy to feel discouraged or stuck, but those who thrive can often pivot and find alternative paths forward. When I encountered an obstacle in my first project, I didn’t let it halt my momentum completely. Instead, I shifted your focus to another creative endeavor. This flexibility allowed me to continue making progress, even if it wasn’t in my intended direction.

However, adaptability isn’t just about changing course when things get tough. It’s also about being patient and trusting the process. When I hit that second roadblock, I could have thrown my hands up in frustration, but instead, I waited. I recognized that sometimes, the best thing we can do is give our minds space to work through problems subconsciously.

This is where the power of patience comes into play. In our fast-paced world, it’s easy to feel every moment must be filled with tangible productivity. But there is a hidden reward in patience and allowing things to unfold in their own time. By stepping away from a project and focusing on other tasks, we can give our minds the space to find a solution. And lo and behold, when we returned to it, we overcame the roadblock.

Stepping away and letting our minds wander is a form of productive procrastination. While it may feel counterintuitive, engaging in seemingly unrelated activities can boost our creativity and problem-solving abilities. When we focus too intently on a problem, we can get stuck in rigid thinking patterns. But when we allow ourselves to procrastinate productively — whether taking a walk, doing household chores, or working on a different project entirely — we allow our brains to approach the problem from new angles.

This is a crucial part of the creative process. Creativity isn’t a linear path from point A to point B. It’s a messy, iterative journey with detours, dead-ends, and unexpected breakthroughs. Hitting roadblocks and taking time to overcome them isn’t a waste — it’s an integral part of creating something new.

When we embrace this mindset, we see that the creative process is as much about the journey as the destination. Each obstacle we face, each moment of frustration or uncertainty, is an opportunity to learn and grow. In these moments, we develop resilience, resourcefulness, and the ability to think outside the box.

So the next time you find yourself sitting on your hands, twiddling your thumbs, or taking that extra walk around the block, remember that this is part of the process. Trust that your mind works behind the scenes, and the pieces fall into place even when you can’t see the whole picture. Have faith in your ability to adapt, persevere, and create something extraordinary, even if the path is meandering.

Embrace the pauses, the detours, and the productive procrastination. They are not obstacles to your creativity but rather essential nourishment for it. In the grand tapestry of creation, every thread matters — even the ones that seem to lead nowhere initially. Keep weaving, keep creating, and trust that with patience and adaptability, you’ll create something beautiful in the end.

I am beginning to realize that in life, every thread matters — even the ones that seem to lead nowhere at first. The roadblocks, the detours, and the moments of productive procrastination are not obstacles to your journey but rather essential parts of it. These threads add depth, resilience, and unique character to your story.

As the philosopher Lao Tzu once said, “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” This simple truth encapsulates the essence of adaptability and patience in navigating life’s creative journey.

Just as a seed must wait patiently in the dark soil before it can sprout and reach for the sun, so too must we trust in the hidden workings of our growth and development. We must believe that even when we feel stuck or unproductive, our roots are spreading, and our potential is unfolding.

And just as a river must wind and curve, following the contours of the land on its way to the sea, we must also be willing to adapt our course when faced with obstacles. We must trust that each bend in the road, each change in direction, ultimately leads us to where we’re meant to be.

So, as you continue on your path of creation and growth, remember the wisdom of adaptability and patience. Embrace the journey in all its messiness and uncertainty, knowing it’s shaping you into the person you’re meant to become.

As the poet Rainer Maria Rilke said, “Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day.”

Trust in the unfolding of your story, even when the plot twists and turns unexpectedly. Have faith that every thread, every brush stroke, every note — even the ones that feel discordant or out of place — are essential to the masterpiece that is your life.

Keep creating, growing, and trusting in your beautiful, messy, miraculous journey. For, as Rilke reminds us, it is in living the questions that we gradually and subtly experience the answers we seek.

With love,

Jo

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