Pause... Again
Description: In this episode, Melissa and Maribeth (from ADD Professionals) emphasize the "power of pause" and what simple techniques can do to make you more effective and more efficient.
Written Transcript
I am going to P..A..U..S..E.. again, for a moment to revisit one of the most powerful tools we have – the Power of Pause.
We have learned that pausing can allow us a moment to back away from an overwhelming situation to “view it like a movie”, and choose the ending we really want.
We have learned that pausing can shut down that amygdala, stopping the adrenaline pump, and allowing that prefrontal cortex to show up. Remember, it is the site of logic reasoning and decision making. We need to keep it open.
We have learned about mastering the ability to “Stop, Relax and Think”
When in an emotionally overwhelming moment,
When we have lost something,
Before we leave, making sure we have everything we need,
Before we make a purchase, or
Before we speak in anger.
That pause is useful in so many situations, and can really change our lives!
I had a college student client who called me, ready to drop a class, because she was headed into the final three weeks with a D! She didn’t want a D on her transcript and was ready to give up on all of the time and money she had spent in the class. I asked her if she had a “drop” deadline, and found out that she had until the end of the week to decide. I worked with her to relax and she agreed to pause for 24 hours.
The next day, she called back and told me she had contacted her advisor, who told her that, if she finished the class with a D, she could retake it next semester, and exchange the new grade for the old one. The old grade would disappear forever!
She decided to do her best, finish the class and see. Now that she was calmer, with more information, she did her best and finished the class with a B! Pausing saved her a whole semester and 3 hours of tuition charges!
I had another client, a salesperson, call me from his car, ready to go into a customer’s office. He had prepared for this presentation far into the night, but was so overwhelmed that he could remember nothing, and was afraid he would blow this important, year-end sale. I asked if he would give me three minutes to pause. He did. At the end of those three minutes, he had relaxed, his prefrontal cortex showed back up and he went into the customer remembering everything. He called me the next day and said that, not only had he made the sale, but it resulted in a big, year-end bonus. Pausing for three minutes made him a big chunk of money!
So, remember the Power of Pause……..It could be the most powerful thing you do today!