Hitting the pause button allows us to rest, regroup, and reassess our situation. In a fast-paced, rapidly changing world, we often find ourselves either stuck in the past or consumed by the future. In this process, we may forget to pause and appreciate where we are in our journey.
Taym Pers
As kids playing video games, we hit the pause button and it’s our time to rest, shake our hands before we take the next level. Or, even playing street games, we take the time freeze (taym pers) route to regroup. As adults we fail to realize that we still have that power to stop a bit and reassess. Remember a few seconds or minutes of discernment can save you a life time of regrets.
I usually operate like the Energizer Bunny—I just keep going and going and going. But as much as I love that momentum, I also know when to slow down and enjoy deep conversations with people of substance. I strive to be as impactful as possible, whether that means rallying people to a cause or simply being a game-changer. The reality, though, is that ‘saving the world’ is an endless job, and success is never a straight line. It’s full of ups and downs, twists and turns that make it both exciting and exhausting. No matter how relentless your drive is, there will always come a point where you don’t just want a break—you absolutely need to hit pause. After all, if life were indeed a journey, nobody would be rushing to the end.
Rediscovering the Power of The Pause
This post has been sitting in my drafts since 2021. I never finished it, but life threw its curveballs, giving me a much deeper appreciation for the power of the pause toward the end of 2025. The past few years have been amazing, and I’ve been ticking off one bucket list item after another—from speaking effectively to diverse crowds and being featured in publications, to mounting mass participation events and receiving awards. But all of those achievements came at a cost: time. I missed so many opportunities to travel, feel alive, and just enjoy life. While I was winning in life, I was slowly losing my spark—so I took a pause. You can’t light a candle of hope without that spark.
So, I finally took a break. That break was my trip to Chiang Mai last month, where I spent almost a week completely out of my comfort zone. Usually, when I’m on vacation, I rarely detach myself from everything going on back home, but this time, I did. I enjoyed the company, the hikes, the immersion in the local culture, and those three days with zero cell signal up in the mountains. The end result was not only finding my spark again but also discovering a renewed drive to wake up every day. I not only found purpose—I found peace. While I will still keep flying as high as I can, a part of me will always remain grounded in the essentials of life.
Press Pause
When life gets overwhelming, don’t hesitate to press the pause button.
- It prevents impulsive decisions
- It helps gather our thoughts
- It allows us to reassess situations
- It grounds us to the essentials
- It provides time to appreciate the moment
- It rest and recharges our soul
- It squeezes our creative juices
- It saves momentum for a better bounce back
Press Play
When you’re ready to bounce back, just press play again. Unfreeze time and get ready to take on the next level. It’s perfectly okay not to be okay, and it’s okay to take some time to heal—but always remember to rise back up, as many times as it takes. Don’t mind the doubters or the people who try to pull you down; it’s your journey, anyway. Pause, slow down, or speed up, but just keep going. Live life at your own pace