Hi, this is Monique Rhodes. Welcome to the In Your Right Mind Podcast, where we're learning how to be happier by working with our minds.
If you’d like to know more about what I teach, come to MoniqueRhodes.com and take the Happiness Quiz — it’s a great place to start.
When Life Feels Dull
One of my students wrote to me recently with a question I hear often.
She said her life was starting to feel dull and repetitive — that nothing big or exciting was happening anymore.
And I think a lot of us can relate to that feeling.
We tend to imagine that joy comes from the big moments — the promotions, the new relationships, the strokes of luck that make life sparkle.
But more often than not, joy sneaks in quietly.
The Quiet Magic of Everyday Moments
Sometimes it’s just a cup of tea with steam curling into the morning light.
Maybe it’s the way sunlight hits your kitchen table and a tiny rainbow appears.
Or the peaceful sight of your dog napping after a long walk.
These aren’t extravagant moments.
They’re not loud or dramatic.
But they are sacred.
The problem isn’t that our lives lack joy — it’s that we’re often moving too fast to notice it.
We’re chasing the next thing, scrolling, planning, fixing, and controlling.
Meanwhile, life is whispering, “Look, I’m right here.”
Happiness in the Doing
What if happiness isn’t waiting at the end of your to-do list?
What if it’s in the doing itself?
It might be in the warmth of the soapy water as you wash a dish.
Or in the way you fold laundry and smooth out the fabric that’s held your body all week.
It might be in brushing your teeth and feeling gratitude for those teeth,
or in sweeping the floor and remembering how lucky you are to even have one.
These aren’t chores — they’re opportunities.
Opportunities to be present.
Opportunities to be grateful.
When we rejoice in the ordinary, we’re not lowering our standards for happiness — we’re raising our sensitivity to it.
We stop waiting for happiness to show up wearing a crown,
and start recognizing it even when it’s wearing old socks.
Training the Mind to Notice
There’s a kind of mind that can find wonder in the way an avocado ripens.
That can be moved by a child’s laughter.
That can feel gratitude for a simple breeze.
This kind of mind isn’t rare — it’s just often buried beneath busyness and distraction.
It comes alive when we slow down, when we breathe,
when we set down the heavy need to be somewhere else,
and allow ourselves to simply be here.
The Sacredness of the Everyday
Mindfulness isn’t about detaching or watching your thoughts float by.
It’s about falling in love with this moment — not the ideal version, but the real one.
The messy, beautiful, alive one happening right now.
There’s quiet magic in making a meal,
in brushing your hair,
in lighting a candle as the sun goes down.
When we meet these moments with reverence,
we stop rushing through life and start realizing how blessed we already are.
A Simple Practice
Here’s a little practice for you today:
Choose one ordinary thing you do every day — something small.
And instead of rushing through it, pause.
Notice it fully.
Feel its textures, its movements, its sensations.
Then quietly, internally, say thank you.
Thank you for this warm cup.
Thank you for this clean water.
Thank you for these hands that still work.
Thank you for this breath.
This is how we build a sacred relationship with reality —
one that turns survival into reverence, and repetition into gratitude.
Joy Is Always Here
Ordinary life is not ordinary.
It’s where everything real happens.
It’s where love grows, where healing begins, where presence is practiced.
And joy — quiet, patient joy — is always waiting there,
ready to be seen.
I hope this has been helpful.
Come to MoniqueRhodes.com and take the Happiness Quiz.
As always, be kind, take care, and go gently in the world.
