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A Jewel for Your Royally Happy Life
Bonjour, my Royal Friends! Princess Diane von Brainisfried here, with another sparkling jewel of wisdom to help you live your royally happy life. Today’s gem is something so simple, yet so powerful, that it can transform the way you move through your kingdom each day: the practice of The Pause. If you’d like to see a short video on The Pause, click here.
What Is The Pause?
In the New York School of Practical Philosophy, I was introduced to the concept of mindfulness—bringing yourself into the present moment without judgment. One fantastic and powerful technique they taught was to pause between activities. They call this practice… can you believe it? The Pause. (Cue mechanical laughing teeth.)😜
It sounds so easy, doesn’t it? Not for me. Not always. Because if you think I’m Her Serene Heinous of Royal Serenity, I’m not. I’m a bit of a peripatetic princess, whirling from preparing dinner to washing the dishes to feeding the dog—to writing my Princess posts—forgetting to stop and breathe in between.
What The Pause is Not
The Pause is not the same as the practice often referred to as “stop and smell the roses” which is easier to remember to do. That’s because the practice of stopping to smell the roses is really the idea of savoring. With savoring, you’re already in the moment. You just need to practice being there! Savoring is learning to appreciate and dig deep in our moments. Luv’n life in the here and now. Life itself is your prompt. See a rose? Stop and smell it. The rose itself is the prompt to remember to stop and sniff.
But The Pause practice has no such prompts. It’s up to you to remember to take a break in between activities. And I was having some trouble integrating this wonderful practice into my daily life.
A Royal Revelation
As I fumbled with trying to remember to practice The Pause, I had a royal revelation: what if the secret isn’t just in consciously remembering to pause, but in seizing the brief, natural pauses that life sprinkles in our path? Not just a pause between tasks, but a pause when we have a few seconds before it’s even possible to start the next task. Like when we have to wait a few moments.
Those tiny moments of waiting that we usually overlook—like calling out to a family member up the staircase and waiting for their answer or dialing the phone and hearing it ring-ring-ring—waiting for someone to answer. These moments of waiting can be transformed into a gift. Instead of fidgeting or fretting, we can soften into The Pause.
Why Pausing Matters
These pauses are far from wasted time. They’re invitations to drop the weight of our worries, release tension, and step fully into the now. For those few seconds, nothing else exists but the calm of the present.
Imagine what a difference it makes when, instead of drumming your fingers in irritation because your Happy Meal Driver said he was five minutes away — twelve minutes ago– you give yourself a gentle pocket of stillness. Stress begins to melt faster than cheese on a hot burger and a soft serenity takes its place.
Where to Find Your Pauses
Once you start noticing these moments, you’ll find they are everywhere:
- Waiting for the doggies to finish their dinner so you can walk them before work
- Waiting for the microwave to beep so you can eat Nona’s famous leftover lasagna
- Waiting for your mail carrier to arrive at your abode after you spy their truck down the block
Instead of rushing ahead or filling the gap with noise, try resting in The Pause. Each one is like a tiny royal retreat you can take without leaving your castle.
The Gift of the Pause
Here’s the most delightful part: with practice, you’ll find that life itself begins to feel more gracious. The pauses stitch a little calm between the busy patches, creating space for joy to breathe. Stress loses its grip, and you reclaim your crown of composure.
Your Royal Invitation
So, my dear royals, let’s sprinkle our days with these gentle pauses. They cost nothing, they demand nothing, and yet they offer everything—a moment to restore your calm, focus, and delight in the present.
Until next time, remember: the happiest lives aren’t just lived—they’re lovingly paused.
Mwah! Ta-ta for now.
Princess Diane von Brainisfried
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Royally Yours with love, laughter, and limitless joy,
👑 💋💫🏰
Princess Diane Von Brainisfried
x♥x♥x♥,
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Dame Diane Uniman, Aka Princess Diane von Brainisfried, is an attorney turned motivational speaker, certified positive psychology life coach and award-winning writer. She wrote Bonjour, Breast Cancer-I’m Still Smiling…Wit, Wisdom, and Optimism for Beating the Breast Cancer Blues.