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 iintendtobehappy.com and let's get you started on a path to being happier.
The Question That Made Me Pause
I received an email from someone who asked why certain struggles and patterns keep showing up in their life.
They wondered—are these things random, or do they have meaning?
I love this question.
Because there’s something quietly profound in seeing life not as a series of accidents, but as a series of invitations to wake up.
The Circle of Your Life
Imagine your life as a circle, with you at the center.
- People
- Feelings
- Challenges
- Joys
They all come into your circle.
They arrive, they leave—but you remain.
And each one is an opportunity to awaken, even when it hurts.
Not Everything Feels Sacred
Some moments will stretch you.
Some will bore or frustrate you.
Some will break your heart.
But when you start to see them not as mistakes, but as visitors with lessons:
- You stop resisting so much.
- You lean in.
- You remember—they’re here for something.
Choosing to Stay Awake
I don’t like the phrase “everything happens for a reason” when it suggests everything happens for a good reason.
But I do believe that life is always giving us chances to wake up.
We can choose to:
- Meet what’s in front of us fully.
- Stay present, even when it’s uncomfortable.
- Keep our hearts open in the middle of the mess.
That’s the heart of the work.
Refined, Not Defined
The hard things don’t define you—they refine you.
- Losses
- Failures
- Unexpected turns
They shape you in ways comfort never could.
We don’t always choose what enters the circle, but we can choose:
- To let it close us—or soften us.
- To react automatically—or respond consciously.
Sacred Ground Under Your Feet
You don’t have to go searching for meaning—it’s already here.
- This moment
- This breath
They are sacred.
Let whatever walks into your circle do its work.
Not to make you someone new—but to make you someone truer.
I hope this has been helpful. As always, be kind, take care, and go gently in the world.
