Go only as far as you need. Then STOP.

Forgive me for this, but forget the race to the top. Please. Let go of constant streaming activity. Just stop. Sink into your holy self. Submerge your synapses in silence.

Engage in the wholehearted, holy pause.

The world can wait. Yes, it can. Even if you think it can’t. I promise you it can.

You will not be lost. Left behind. Forgotten. On the contrary, you are likely to be revered. Leaps ahead. Beloved. Your actions teach. Others are watching. Absorbing. Mirroring because our minds are wired to do this monkey-see, monkey-do dance.

Are you brave enough to pull the plug?

Cease. Breathe. Rest. Before you go mad from being ‘crazy busy.’ BE the cycle breaker. Fearless warrior of rest & rejuvenation. Front runner of a new way of BEing.

Go only as far as you need. Then Stop.

Can you struggle through the process? Daily practice is required. Labyrinthine concentration a necessity. A certain jaunty willingness to be out of fashion…at least until the rest of us monkeys wake up and realize life is passing us by. Days lost. Years gone. Never to be seen or heard from again.

Lost opportunities to meander in the woods. Sit in deep connection with a friend (not chattering, connecting). Chart the intricacies of the inner landscape. Slowly peel an orange and lose yourself in the texture. Flavor. Scent. All sacrifices on the altar of rushing.

Release your self-sacrificing habits.

Stop living someone else’s version of your life. Seek out your own best way forward. Listen. Move organically. Without compromise. Sacrifice. Settling for less than you are.

A note for early adopters…

It’s rough out here. No paved roads. Guideposts or signs pointing the way. Sometimes you don’t see a kindred soul for weeks (unless you frequent meditation halls). But I’m not talking about sitting-on-a-meditation-cushion-in-a-quite-hall style pausing. I’m talking about kids screaming, work insanity, partner/friend driving you crazy style pausing. Shut down your cell phone/computer. Go wander in the woods time-outs.

Even when it’s crazy. Especially when you think you can’t.

No instruction manual for that, not yet. Perhaps we’ll write one together someday when enough mirror neurons tip away from sacrificial living and towards living sacred…

In the meantime, here are some suggestions for getting started:

1. Discover a place where you feel connected. Go there often. Calendar it. Non-negotiable time. Do it at least twice a week. More if possible.
2. Anchor in a way that works for you: breathe; feel your feet; stand up and shake it out. Use this when in stressful or toxic situations you can’t get out of quickly.
3. Catch yourself. Notice you’re in over your eyeballs. Stop. Even if for one or two minutes at a time. Eventually, your mind will meet up with your intentions and you’ll be able to pause for longer.

How do you know where your edge is?
What do you do to engage your holy pause?

ABOUT SHANNON CROSSMAN

Shannon Crossman learned the hard way that untapped creative energy casts a helluva shadow, so she crafts her sanity with her hands daily. Nothing excites (or frustrates) her more than a blank page, fresh ball of yarn, or pile of foodstuffs – all waiting to be transformed into bits of deliciousness. Words are, and have always been, her way back home. She is a writer, artist, technical wizard, public speaker, witch, priestess, gluten free baker, time-bender, and COO who happens to possess a degree in Transpersonal & Somatic Psychology. She’s a mama and grandma to a gaggle of wild girls who make her heart happy. When she’s out in the business world she’s figuring out how to make things faster, more efficient, and automating the hell out automating the hell out of sh*t. Shannon still believes in magic, craves the ocean like a land-locked mermaid, and dreams of a life without shoes.