“With much patience and hard training, one develops good character.” - Grandmaster Ki Whang Kim
This is the school motto at Kim Studio where I train and teach martial arts. Traditional martial arts is as much about mental philosophies and disciplines as it is about the physical ones. And, I find this one to be as applicable outside dojo as in it. It all starts with - In-neh, patience.
Patience is an elusive but powerful tool. And one place that power resides in is the… pause.
Whether a physical pause - like pausing to look both ways before you cross a street - or mental one, great things happen when you allow space for them.
When someone comes to you for a decision or help with a problem, are you rushing to an answer (and talking over them)? Or, are you mentally pausing… waiting for them to finish telling you about what they need?
The effect of that pause - that minor investment in time - can be dramatic. Not only does it allow you to collect more complete data on the problem or decision, you are also investing heavily into that relationship. When you are thinking about your answer, you stop listening. Pausing sends a message to the other person that you are truly listening to them.
”Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” - Victor Frankl
“It’s not so much knowing when to speak, when to pause.” - Jack Benny
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