Power Of The Pause

Whether it's the dark and cold rolling in or the approaching of turkey day, this time of year always tends to slow people down as we come to the busiest time of the year. Blogs and social posts are consumed with gratitude this time of year, with their 30-day gratitude challenges and themes of Thanksgiving. At LWP we are joyfully hopping on the bandwagon. In preparation for our customary Thanksgiving blog, I started thinking about what I am most grateful for, and it came to me as powerfully as a Tibetan bell at 5:45 a.m. on the way to yoga.

For me, all roads to abundance that I have created in my life stem from the power of the pause, i.e. self-care. And that, for me, is my daily yoga practice. It really got me thinking about all the things I am so deeply, deeply grateful for in my life.

To name a few:

1. My unconditionally loving family.
2. Laney and all our accomplishments, including publishing a book and starting on the path of writing our second book, a follow-up to "Don’t Be a Yes Chick!"
3. Dave and Victoria and the remarkable partnership that allows each of us to not only be the best version of ourselves but also to make an enormous impact on so many lives.
4. All the deep friendships I have in this life, each of which is nothing short of truly authentic.
5. The amazing LWP team and the unified mission we are all on, ensuring that work often doesn’t feel like work.

But to be completely honest, none of these gifts would be as rich or deeply fulfilling for any of the beneficiaries without my intentional prep work, daily. My unwavering commitment to make self-care a priority allows me to intentionally fuel my mind, body and heart by committing to my daily yoga practice. It’s really easy to trick ourselves into thinking that this can be selfish or that those 90 minutes a day could instead be quality “productive” time, be it catching up on strategic work, making calls, spending time with the kids, investing in future growth projects, etc. But the brutal truth of the matter is, if I DON’T invest in me first, in my daily creed, everybody else loses because I am not fully present and my fuse is short. Come Friday I am running on fumes, and by the time I leave work physically, there is very little left of me to give to my family over the weekend if I don't take the time to pause and put on my oxygen mask during the week.

At the end of the day, if I get really quiet and list that for which I am most grateful, it’s my daily yoga practice. Anchoring to this reminds me that it is not a luxury “if time permits,” it’s the most important ingredient that allows me to keep gratitude, connection, patience, focus, authentic relationships and an enormous level of joy in my life consistently, well after the holiday blogs, parties, cards and gifts stop. And everybody wins. That is the beauty of gratitude – it's not really all about us having appreciation. For me it is the necessity to be able to give, receive and make a lasting impact.

Molly L. Hall, Co-Founder, Lawyers with Purpose, LLC, and author of Don’t Be a Yes Chick: How to Stop Babysitting Your Boss, Transform Your Job and Work with a Dream Team Without Losing Your Sanity or Your Spirit in the Process.