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 let’s help you get started on your path to a happier life.
The Question That Matters Most
I was talking to a friend the other day about how incredibly short this life is.
Not just in years—
But in how quickly the moments pass.
And I found myself asking a powerful question:
How am I spending my time—and who am I spending it with?
It’s not a lofty question.
It’s a grounded one.
Because how we spend our moments—
That’s how we spend our life.
The Habit of Holding On
Most of us default to struggle.
We’ve been taught to grip tightly—
To control, to resist, to define ourselves with rigid lines:
- “I’m this kind of person.”
- “That doesn’t happen to me.”
- “You’re like that, I’m like this.”
But those lines we draw?
They can become a prison.
They trap us in outdated roles and ideas—
Ones that no longer fit who we really are.
Masters of Resistance
We become masters at resisting:
Resisting change.
Resisting uncertainty.
Resisting the unknown.
We grip tight—when what we might need most is to let go.
What If We Loosened the Grip?
So what if we chose differently?
What if, instead of perfecting the art of control—
We practiced the art of letting go?
Letting go isn’t weakness.
It’s not giving up.
It’s not passive.
It’s a softening of the grip—
On our judgments, on our need to be right,
On our certainty about how life “should” be.
Creating Space for Surprise
Letting go opens space.
Space to be surprised.
To see differently.
To become something new.
Because we can’t find new ways of being
If we’re trapped in old stories.
And the truth is—
We are not finished.
We’re never fixed in place.
No matter how old we are—
There’s still space to grow.
Returning to the Child Within
That growth begins with flexibility.
The kind we knew as kids.
Open. Curious. Brave enough to explore.
That flexibility is still in us.
It just needs practice.
And intention.
And courage.
The Warrior Spirit
This is where the idea of being a warrior comes in.
Not a warrior of battle—
But a warrior of the heart.
- One who stays present with pain.
- One who walks with uncertainty.
- One who doesn’t cling to identity—
- But remains open to transformation.
That’s the real strength.
Choosing Expansion
When we stop defending who we think we are—
We begin discovering who we might become.
And that’s when everything opens.
Not because life gets easier—
But because you become more spacious.
You start to see clearly.
You listen more deeply.
You pivot when life asks you to.
Uncertainty Is the Beginning
Uncertainty isn’t the enemy.
It’s the birthplace of growth.
Of creativity.
Of connection.
Of healing.
So let me ask you again:
How will you spend this one, brief lifetime?
Will you keep perfecting struggle?
Or will you soften—
And step into something bigger?
Let go.
Not just for yourself—
But for those around you
Who are longing to do the same.
I hope this has been helpful.
As always, be kind, take care, and go gently in the world.
