31 Keepsakes continue with Keepsake 12: a Pause Plan (for when our Now needs a time out)

by Tre on December 13, 2010

: Image via Wikipedia

Hey friend.

#31Keepsakes continues tonight with Keepsake #12: Pause Plan.

If you’re just joining us, scootch below to where you see the *** and all the Keepsakes are there for you to enjoy! 🙂

All day I was thinkin’ about you, wondering how it was going leaving outside the door of thought what you opted to last night.

For me?

After opening Keepsake 11 with you, I chose to leave outside shoulda/coulda/wished I woulda. I chose to refuse to let myself listen to this train of thinking…

~you should have done that

~you could have done that

~you wish you would have done that

But guess what? All day that kind of thinking banged on my front door (in thought): “You shoulda given the Pause Plan first. You shoulda given the Pause Plan first.”

But like I always try to do to squelch this inner bully, I put my thought in gear and my Pause Plan in motion.

Here’s what that means literally:

I p – a – u – s – e – d:

p – ro

a – ctively

u – sed (the)

s – ituation (to)

e – mbrace (myself)

where it matters most of course: in thought. 🙂

(Come on, giggle with me. It’s kinda good right? I used to run a learning center and I’d teach littles to “Take the boo outa vocaboolary and replace it with ‘u‘ as in “you” can do this!”

Eh hem. Sorry for the commercial break. We are all about fun over here.

Why the Pause Plan:

Once upon a time there was a little girl and she was running.

And she was very tired.

And she kept running to get to where she was going.

But while she was running she kept hearing this “you don’t run fast enough.’

So she ran faster.

And she kept hearing “Losah! You don’t run fast enough.”

So she tried to run faster and faster.

And then she ran out of breath….so she paused.

And she heard “you don’t run fast enough.”

But she’d paused her running.

So she laughed out loud.

And she said out loud “But I’m not running!!!!”

And she heard nothing.

And she turned around and walked home.

*The inner bully not me voice sometimes likes to attack your intentions. And wouldn’t even voice a thing if you never set that intention. But addressed head on? OOOooh. It doesn’t like that and tends to disappear.

Why a pause plan is a good thing:

Now you may giggle, or roll your eyes, or think “huh. that’s so obvious why haven’t I done it before?”

Intentions are one thing.

Putting them into action? A whole ‘nother.

Regroup:

Last night?

We set an intention.

Today?

We tried to do it.

And maybe it was hard.

But rather than listen to voices of frustration, anger, guilt, let’s use it as a moment to hug ourselves even more.

See?

Any occasion that is a bit wonky is really a moment to stand, defend ourselves and

p – ro

a – ctively

u – se the

s – ituation to

e – mbrace ourselves.

Pause plans are what we do when intention takes a nap. 🙂

Pause plans are what we do to wake up intentions and get ’em groovin.

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Create a Pause Plan

Ask: What would it take to remind yourself to remember your intentions?

Ask: What would remind your heart you are not ever the inner bully?

Only you know what will best wake up your intention from her nap.

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The practicals:

What works for me is two things:

1. I make a visual reminder.I use a little index card or a 1/4 of a piece of printer paper.

On that paper, I write

1. I’m leaving outside of thought ____________ (the intention).

2. I am focused on the right now. (the commitment to now).

3. The inner bully voice is not my voice. (the defense our hearts).

Second, I take action.

I pause but with action.

I don’t just look at the paper. I go somewhere and get still.

If I’m driving and I’m able, I’ll pull off the side of the road.

Or I will stand still and close my eyes (if I’m in a crowd).

Or I’ll find a quiet corner and crouch down and hug my knees to my chest.

I pray/medidate/I get thoughts still.

You may choose to go to a quiet corner in your home or office. You may choose to go on a walk. You may choose to close your eyes right where you’re standing.

Think about what might work for you.

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Activity #2: CREATE YOUR PAUSE PLAN

Last night we wrote down what we were leaving outside the door of thought.

Tonight, for Activiti #2, we’re creating our P A U S E plan for when intention takes a nap.

Part One: Make your Pause Plan (or picture or napkin or note or whatever)

a. Restate your intention – what you’re leaving outside the door of thought.

b. State the why behind your intention.

c. State the fact the inner bully voice is not you.

Create it however you want.

Do whatever’s simplest and you can always pretty it up later.

But make it visual not just reminders in thought.

Part 2: Choose where you will go to ‘take’ your pause.

Jot this down on the back of your piece of paper if you want.

Maybe this is closing your eyes.

Maybe this is literally walking to the next room and crouching down and hugging your knees to your chest.

Maybe this is giving yourself permission to pull off the side of the road if you’re driving.

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Wrap Up:

Deep breathe.

Did you recognize something?

Did you recognize how taking this step is a way of being gentle on our hearts (Keepsake 1)?

Did you see how defending intentions can feel really grounding? (Keepsake 2)?

Hope so.

If not, return to start and press go and re-read all 11 Keepsakes.

KIDDING.

🙂 🙂 🙂

When you use your pause plan, you’re resisting the pull to dump on yourself.

You’re not just sitting there frustrated.

You’re turning that inner angst into the hug.

You are:

p – ro

a – ctively

u – sing the

s – ituation to

e – mbrace yourself. 🙂

Pause isn’t just pausing.

Pause is doing.

And more?

Pause is BEING….being gentle with our hearts and being grounded in the who we are and who we are intending. 😉

See ya here 2morrow night…Same time…Same space.

Big hugs.

Tre ~

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** If you’d like to talk about something you’ve read in the post or just want to know more about Thought by Thought and the work I do, leave a comment or send an email to tre at thought by thought dot net.

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***If you want to open up each of the #31 KEEPSAKES we’ve shared thus far:

~ The background story: Why the 31 Keepsakes?

~ the first Keepsake: Keepsake #1: Be Gentle

~ then go here: Keepsake #2: Be Grounded

~ then go here: Keepsake #3: Be Comfort

~ next, go here: Keepsake #4: Be in ~ charge

~ next, go here::) Keepsake #5: Be expectant of good

~ next, go here: Keepsake #6: Be Calm

~ next, go here: Keepsake #7: Be Protective (of our thoughts)

~ next, go here: Keepsake #8: Be Playful

~ next, go here: Keepsake #9: Be Still