The Pause That Powers the Future

Welcome to NEXTletter, your personal 121 (One To One) with your future - 1 question, 2 perspectives, 1 experiment.

Author

Frederik Pferdt
June 06, 2025

Prefer to listen 📻 > click here.

A tiny invitation. A powerful shift.

A future-ready mindstate asks us to stay open. To be radically optimistic.
But let’s be honest — that’s not always easy.
Especially in a world that tells us to go faster, do more, and never stop.

What I’ve learned is this:

Even when we “do nothing,” our body and mind are still working.
Processing. Healing. Preparing.
That’s why extended breaks — like the ten days of silent retreat I once did, or fasting — can feel so powerful.

They interrupt the noise just long enough for something new to emerge.
A new thought.
A new feeling.
A new way of seeing the world.

ONE QUESTION TO REFLECT ON

What if doing nothing was exactly what you needed to move forward?

We’re so used to doing, moving, achieving—especially when the future feels uncertain.
But what if the next best thing wasn’t another sprint, another plan, another push…
What if it was a pause?

TWO PERSPECTIVES TO CONSIDER

1️⃣ From Science

Neuroscientists call it the Default Mode Network—a part of your brain that lights up when you're not actively focused.

It’s when you daydream, reflect, or stare at the sea.

Turns out, it’s also when your brain connects ideas, surfaces new insights, and reimagines possibilities.

Doing nothing doesn’t mean nothing is happening. It means something deeper might be unfolding.

2️⃣ From Real Life

Last week, when summer break began, a dear friend visited us at the harbor.
As always, he showed up ready to help—tidying things, doing the dishes on the boat, full of generous energy. Then Angela my wife looked at him and smiled:

“How about you just sit down and do nothing?”

It was a moment of kindness—and permission. And it struck me: how hard it can be to let go of “doing,” even when it’s not needed.

Same with my kids. The first day of summer break, they didn’t know what to do with all that freedom.
They paced, poked, looked for something to start.

It reminded me: Sometimes, the hardest and bravest thing is to pause. To breathe. To trust that even in the silence, the future is whispering.

ONE EXPERIMENT

Sit. No phone. No planning. Just be.

The Power Pause Ritual

Try this today—just once:

  1. Find a quiet spot.

  2. Set a timer for 3 minutes.

  3. Sit. No phone. No planning. Just be.

  4. When the timer ends, jot down the first thought, image, or emotion that arises.

  5. Ask yourself: What is this trying to tell me about what’s next?

This ritual is deceptively simple. But over time, it can become a doorway—to insight, to calm, to creative momentum.

NEW PODCAST EPISODE - The Future Is HOW

This week’s episode of The Future is HOW is the most personal I’ve ever shared — and it’s deeply connected to this idea of pausing as a source of growth.

Angela, my wife, joins me in a conversation that took several tries (and a few emotional pauses) to finally record. It’s about those quiet spaces in life — the ones where insight, healing, and becoming often begin.

Angela’s journey — from working in finance to becoming a Healing Artist, Reiki Master, and Master Gardener — isn’t just about changing paths.
It’s about learning how to slow down, listen, and grow roots.

Listen to The Future Is How
with Angela & Frederik

As she shares in the episode: “Home is where I grow.” And like in nature, growth doesn’t rush. It unfolds when we create the space for it.

In this episode, we talk about:
• Why doing nothing can be an act of becoming
• How Reiki invites presence and stillness
• The connection between gardening and personal growth
• The myths (and meaning) of psychedelics
• How patience and presence are practices — not traits

This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a reflection on what it means to grow together — slowly, intentionally, and again.

📺 Watch our conversation here.
🎧 Listen now.

Want to grow with Angela? Visit santawoodz.com 👈🏼

A NEW CHAPTER — AND A NEW FORCE

And speaking of growth…

I’m excited (and a little in awe) to share that my book What’s Next Is Now is now available in Traditional Chinese in Taiwan, beautifully published by the incredible team at 天下文化.

The title:
《原力心態》 — The Force Mindstate

This title isn’t just a translation — it’s a transformation.
It captures something profound:
That the true force driving our future isn’t out there.
It’s within us.

Frederik’s new book now available in Taiwan.

原力 (Yuánlì) means “The Force” — like in Star Wars, a field of energy that flows through all things. 心態 (Xīntài) means “Mindstate” — your inner orientation, your way of seeing, feeling, and shaping the world.

Together:
The Force Mindstate is the power we cultivate when we choose openness over fear, imagination over control, presence over distraction.
It’s the future spirit — activated.

Your future might not need another task. It might need a pause. Give yourself the gift of doing nothing—so something new can emerge.

Let me know what you discover. And if this gave you a breath of fresh perspective, share it with a friend who might need a pause too.

With love,
Frederik

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