One night, after producing a particularly rough 6 p.m. newscast, one of my more tenured colleagues, Kim, took me aside and gave me a piece of advice I’ll never forget. He told me to “pause.” At first I thought it had something to do with our tape decks – at the time, it was 1999 before digital ruled the world. When I asked Kim what he meant, he said, “Pause for a few seconds. Take a deep breath. Soak it all in. You can still do that in this crazy business.”

Pause. Take a deep breath. Soak it all in. Until that moment, I didn’t think about the power of a pause and taking a deep breath (or 10) before my next action or response. After all, I was a 21-year-old kid who was just starting out, wanting so badly to prove myself and produce a great newscast. I was always on the move, trying to stay ahead of things. Thanks to Kim’s advice, I realized in spite of your most chaotic moments, there is always room to pause for clarity, align your thoughts and to “just breathe” in order to stay calm, cool and collected.

I left the broadcast journalism industry a few years later, but Kim’s “pause” advice has stayed with me in my work and personal life. It’s one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received. Of course, I continue to be a work in progress. There have been several moments where I didn’t pause and I’ve had to regroup as a result. When I do pause, my experiences are richer, my decisions don’t seem so overwhelming and I have a better understanding of all sides of the story.

We live in a hectic world with a lot of distractions and the constant need for thinking quickly. While all pause moments aren’t perfect, they help us see beyond what’s right in front of us.