The power of the pause

Having just returned from a brief vacation, I can definitely say that pausing helped me regain energy, think about the whirlwind that my year has been, and how I want the next few months to go. Without consciously pressing ‘pause’, I would not be able to continue putting my best effort into everything I do.

‘Pausing’ is something we all know about, but mostly fail to do. It’s not just a vacation once a year, it’s a daily practice of small actions. When you pause, you see things more clearly. You find deeper, better answers, and unlock your hidden potential. This month, when women are celebrated in a bigger way through many forums, let’s remember to focus on ourselves. We have a few resources lined up, to help you do just this.?Before we move on, while I do believe enabling and celebrating women is a year-long effort, I wanted to wish each of you a very Happy Women’s Day!

Warm regards,

Kanchana Gupta,?Founder, vLookUp

Expand your consciousness through ‘heartful’ meditation!

Living 24/7 lives can take its toll on our mental and emotional wellbeing, leaving us anxious, depressed, and burned out. Meditation is one of the most practical and effective tools that we can use to better manage the complexities we face. In the next monthly catch-up, vLookUp mentor, Nitin Govila, will show you a system called 'Heartfulness' that offers simple, unique and secular practices to help you reach a higher potential.

?The power of pausing in a hyper-productive world

Prepare for Nitin’s session by reading this vLookUp perspective about the power of pausing. If you’ve been feeling stressed or unimaginative lately, the problem may not be so much in your talents or methods. It could just lie in the lack of pauses in your life. Our minds, cluttered like badly arranged cookie jars, simply need to be shaken up. So that more inner space is created. Here are some quick tips: relax, practice meditation, create ‘nothing days’, start the day with yourself, heighten your senses, avoid power lunching, walk it off.

Read the blog for more details.

The vLookUp perspective

Staying sane during change: learnings from our panel discussion

Being open to change, being unafraid to be vulnerable, asking for help, doing the groundwork, breaking biases, reframing inner narratives, being patient in the face of chaos, trusting in one’s intrinsic value – these are just some of the amazing learnings we have gleaned from the five amazing mentors and mentees who have shared their transition journeys with us with so much candour and insight.Read the highlightsof their stories orwatch the full replayof the discussion.

Gain new perspectives on mental narratives

We’re always telling ourselves stories in our heads, whether we’re aware of it or not. And that story is influencing our beliefs about life and work. It’s time we looked inward, at the story we’ve been unconsciously developing about ourselves and for ourselves. Read about mental narratives and how we can change the ones that stop our progress.

Take a pause, to watch this

The art of stillness

The place that travel writer Pico Iyer would most like to go? Nowhere. In this TedTalk, he takes a look at the incredible insight that comes with taking time for stillness. In our world of constant movement and distraction, he teases out strategies we all can use to take back a few minutes out of every day, or a few days out of every season. It's the talk for anyone who feels overwhelmed by the demands for our world.