I was chatting with a colleague yesterday when they said something simple, but grounding:
“Sometimes it’s okay to slow down and just breathe.”
It stayed with me.
In every meeting — whether it's a group session or a one-on-one — I take notes. Not just for documentation. Mostly, it’s to help me focus. To really follow along. It’s a way for me to practice being present.
Writing helps me stay present with what's being said, even when things are meandering or non-linear. It gives me space to absorb context. To track connections. To let ideas marinate, without needing to tune out to think.
So for me, the hard part isn’t listening. It’s knowing when to step in. When to summarize, steer, or share what I’m seeing. And that part — the timing — is something I’m always working on. Every day.
Sometimes you set the pace. Sometimes, you’re following someone else’s. But most times? You’re all just moving to the rhythm of the world you’re in.
It’s like driving on the highway — vaguely keeping pace with the cars around you, usually a bit faster than the limit. You’re not tracking your own speed so much as you’re tracking theirs. And on rare occasions, when the road’s clear, you ease up — just enough to stay safe.
That metaphor only works when everyone’s headed in the same direction, at roughly the same pace. But work and life aren’t like that.
We move at the speed our capacity allows. By capacity, I don’t mean productivity. I mean the full picture — motivation, morale, caffeine, sleep, stress, safety, pressure, people. What we’re willing to give. What we can afford to hold.
That’s the real rhythm of how people move. And if you’re working with others — if you’re leading a team or project — it’s worth tuning into.
Sometimes, the best way to move forward… is to pause. Notice the pace. And breathe.