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 howhappyami.com and you’ll find out more about how I can help you to be happier.
The Juice Is in This Moment
The other day, I was talking to a friend. She said something that really stayed with me:
“One of the things I love about you, Mon, is the way you squeeze the juice out of every moment.”
And then she added, “Let’s always squeeze the juice out of every moment in our life together.”
I loved that.
Because there’s a quiet kind of power in truly learning how to be where you are—not just physically present, but fully alive in the moment.
Awake to the texture of it.
The softness.
The sharpness.
The subtle beauty of something that will never happen in quite the same way again.
Always Chasing, Always Replaying
But most of us spend a huge amount of our lives looking ahead.
We’re:
- Planning
- Anticipating
- Waiting for something to begin
At the same time, we carry the past like a bag on our back—
- Replaying conversations
- Revisiting regrets
- Wondering how things could have gone differently
And while we’re doing all that...
Something miraculous is unfolding.
This moment.
Right now.
And often—we’re missing it.
The Myth of “One Day”
We’re conditioned to believe:
- That meaning lives just beyond our reach
- That joy is in the next achievement
- That we’ll feel peace once everything is in order
- That beauty is only for special occasions
But the truth?
It’s simpler.
Wilder.
Everything sacred is already here.
The juice isn’t in some future destination.
It’s in this exact breath.
Living Fully Is Not Grand—It’s Present
You feel it when:
- You take a breath and actually feel it fill your body
- You sip your coffee and truly taste it
- You look into someone’s eyes—and don’t look away
That’s not “passing time.”
That’s living fully.
That’s squeezing the juice.
And that, in itself, is extraordinary.
Small Things Hold Big Truths
There’s a reason small things move us so deeply:
- Watching a bird in the morning
- Hearing the familiar voice of a close friend
- Locking eyes with your dog and having a “conversation”
These things?
They’re not distractions from reality.
They are reality.
This is what life is made of.
And when you pay attention,
When you meet life with wonder,
Everything becomes more vivid.
Even the painful moments.
Being Real With Life
Presence doesn’t erase pain.
But it gives pain depth and meaning.
When you stop resisting life—
When you stop numbing out—
You begin to feel whole again.
Being present isn’t about being productive.
It’s not about fixing.
It’s about remembering.
It’s about this breath.
This unpolished, imperfect, fleeting moment.
This moment that’s so worthy of your attention.
You Don’t Need to Be “More”
You don’t need to chase a better version of yourself to find meaning.
You don’t need to be:
- More healed
- More successful
- More enlightened
To celebrate what is.
You just need to pause long enough to notice.
This moment isn’t lacking.
It doesn’t need to be upgraded or improved.
It’s enough.
And when you see it clearly—when you appreciate it as it is—
You realize something incredibly freeing:
There’s nothing missing.
Because there’s nothing more than this moment.
I hope this is helpful.
As always, be kind.
Take care.
Go gently in the world.
