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 your journey.
The Message That Stopped Me
A couple of days ago, I got a message from someone who wrote:
"I feel like I’m missing my life while it’s happening. How do I stop rushing through everything and start actually being present?"
That’s a powerful question.
And it’s one I think many of us can relate to.
The Kind of Wisdom That Comes Quietly
There’s a kind of wisdom that doesn’t come from thinking harder.
It comes from stillness.
From letting go of the endless commentary in our minds—
The rehearsed reactions, the constant evaluations.
This isn’t wisdom with answers.
It’s wisdom with presence.
With simply seeing.
Softening the Mind
So what does it mean to soften our minds?
It means releasing the grip—
- Not grasping for what should be.
- Not wishing for what was.
- Just allowing what is.
It’s a subtle kind of presence.
Not dramatic. Not showy.
Just quietly alive.
And deeply moving.
You Were Born With This
Here’s the thing—this presence isn’t something you need to earn.
It’s your natural state.
But most of us have spent years narrating our lives instead of living them.
We label everything—
"This is good." "This is boring." "This is a waste of time."
And in doing so, we miss the raw, unfiltered beauty of this moment.
A Friend Said Something True
A friend said to me yesterday:
"These moments aren’t good or bad—they just are."
And in that, there’s incredible power.
Because this moment—
Whether uncertain or plain—
Is entirely unique.
It will never come again.
Not in this exact way.
That realization invites something soft into us.
A reverence.
Life Begins to Glow
Being present doesn’t mean forcing joy into every second.
It means letting every moment be enough—
Even when it’s dull, even when it’s hard.
And strangely, when we do that—
Even the mundane begins to glow.
The Rhythm of Life
We start to feel the rhythm of life itself:
- How everything is connected.
- How loss leads to new beginnings.
- How joy is precious because it won’t last.
- How grief, met with honesty, becomes a doorway to compassion.
This is what presence reveals.
Andrea Gibson’s Gift
I’ve been thinking about the poet Andrea Gibson.
How they stopped resisting their diagnosis—
And started meeting it with tenderness.
That’s what I mean.
Tenderness with life.
Tenderness with yourself.
You Are Not a Problem to Be Solved
You’re not here to fix yourself.
You’re here to live these unfolding moments.
To care for them.
To care for you.
And when you stop trying to make life perfect,
You start seeing its beauty exactly as it is.
Releasing and Receiving
Let go of the need to know everything.
Let yourself be touched by the small things.
Be receptive.
Meet this moment with presence—
Because when you live like that,
The world opens.
And you open too.
I hope this has been helpful.
As always, be kind, take care, and go gently in the world.
