The Pause

 Where are you coming from? Where are you right now? And where do you want to go?

Three deceptively simple questions. And not the kind we ask during a job interview or while writing a personal statement—but the kind we should ask ourselves, deliberately and often. This is why 'THE PAUSE'  matters.

We live in an age of relentless motion and noise . The average person now spends over 6 hours a day on digital devices, often juggling multiple tasks at once. Teen anxiety rates have surged by 20% in the last decade, and burnout isn’t just a corporate phenomenon anymore—it’s showing up in classrooms, staff rooms, and even playgrounds. Everyone is trying to keep up—with deadlines, expectations, grades, bills, appearances, and the ever-shifting benchmark of “success.”

We usually wake up to alarms , check our phones before our feet hit the ground, hurry the children, hurry to school or work, run through meetings and classes, gulp down coffee, swallow meals, tick off lists—and somewhere in all of that, wonder if we’ve actually lived the day or just survived it.

Even rest feels performative now. Some look at it as time lost or wasted! We scroll endlessly, comparing our lives to curated highlight reels of others. Why aren’t we travelling the world and seeing places ? Why does everyone else seem so accomplished, so happy, so fit , so ahead? Why are we being left behind .

But the truth is—most of us have done far better than we give ourselves credit for. We’ve faced umpteen challenges. We've grown. We’ve overcome illness, loss, personal struggles, setbacks. We’ve shown up, day after day. And if we paused long enough, we might actually see that. The sad truth is - we don't !

I remember sitting in a school auditorium once, at the end of a long and exhausting week. The Annual prize day was round the corner, and we had just finished a rehearsal. The bell had rung, most people had left, and I just sat there, alone for a few minutes. No phone. No rush. Just silence - and I pondered my work and my life . That tiny moment of stillness brought surprising clarity. It’s often in those brief pauses—between classes, between meetings, between life’s big chapters—that the most important thoughts find their way in. For me they still do - I belong to the 5 am club, like many of you, - that's when I get most of my inspiration .

And that’s why taking a pause matters.

Not to escape, but to reconnect - to reflect- to be grateful - to take stock - to see the journey for what it is—not a race, but a series of moments, of choices, of small wins and quiet growth.

So, to everyone reading this: Make space for that very much needed 'PAUSE'

Not just once in a while, but as a regular habit. Step away from the chatter and the incessant noise. Reflect on your journey.

Ask yourself— Where have I come from? Where am I now? Where do I want to go next?

And perhaps more importantly— What truly matters to me now?

Because in the end, it’s not always about how far you go… It’s about knowing why you're going there at all.