Time Out ….. the intentional ending of an incomplete task

I was first directly exposed to the practices of journaling and meditation, while studying for my certification in Organisation Development at the NTL Institute, USA. At the time I was most significantly impacted by the ability of meditation practice to draw me into an attentive silence, from which I was able to emerge, with greater self awareness and focus and a clarity that allowed easy discernment of solutions.

I subsequently joined a meditation group here in Trinidad and a few months later was invited to lead weekly meditation group sessions.

In its simplicity, I liken the experience to losing your car keys and after searching for them for an hour, deciding to move onto something else. And as you sit for a bit “to catch yourself” before you begin the next task, in that very small fraction of a second, that millisecond, when your mind has no thought, you have an “aha moment”, now I know where I left my keys.

I relate this, because as leaders, we rarely if ever allow time for that millisecond for absence of thought, let alone to embark on scheduled reflection time. My practical experience is that time spent in introspection and reflection surfaces a depth of self knowledge, learnings and solutions that our technology driven world allows little time to be processed. So next time you have given the option for brewed or instant coffee, request the brew and use the brew time for a few moments of reflection :-).