halrunkel
“When angry, count to ten before you speak; if very angry, count to one hundred.” (Thomas Jefferson)
It’s amazing what can happen in a single second: a human eye can blink seven times, a commercial jet can cover 800 feet, four babies are born. A mere second can make a huge, life-changing difference.
When we find ourselves in the fact of conflict — what differences might 10 seconds afford us? Or, as Mr. Jefferson suggests in certain cases, 100 seconds?
The power of the pause button is both a great preventer and a creator of possibilities, buying us time to reflect, break free of our patterns, avoid hurtful words, and evaluate the bigger picture. During conflict, remember before saying or doing anything to push your pause button.
Buddhist author Thich Nhat Hanh teaches his students to take three deep breaths. He asks us to think about all of the terrible mistakes we’ve made throughout our lives, and consider how they might have turned out if we’d only paused and taken three…deep…breaths.
He and Jefferson are onto something….
Peace begins with a pause,
Hal
