The Next Right Thing

Sometimes the words we speak when we're afraid sound like fear. Other times, they sound like control, irritation, confusion, manipulation, ambivalence, shame, discipline, guilt or research. Fearful words come out naturally in all kinds of ways. The fearful words find us. But good words are found by us. Let's find some good words together. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Discern + Decide, my online self-paced course. Enrollment open until April 8, 2020 Will the Circle Be Unbroken? by Sean Dietrich Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

How can we trust ourselves to make wise decisions during an uncertain time? I have a couple of tools I hope will help. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Discern + Decide, my online self-paced course. Enrollment open until April 8, 2020 That Discomfort You're Feeling is Grief from the Harvard Business Review Episode 120: What to Do When the World Shuts Down The Holy Longing by Ronald Rolheiser Parks and Recreation on Netflix Proverbs 20:27 Get the ebook version of The Next Right Thing for free via Amazon Prime Grab a physical copy of The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

Doing the next right thing has been a life-line for me in parenting, schooling, work, relationships and all manner of decision-making. But these last few weeks navigating the rapidly changing situation in our world as we fight to slow the spread of Covid-19, doing the next right thing has taken on an entirely new level of meaning. As we move forward together I want to walk along with you as you navigate your next right thing - for yourself, in your families, with your friends, and as you carry so many question marks as it seems the world has shut down. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Psalm 31:14-16 Get the ebook version of The Next Right Thing for free via Amazon Prime Grab a physical copy of The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

Today’s episode is for parents, caregivers, or anyone with children in your life who may need help with their next right thing. Though this episode was recorded just a few days ago, a lot has changed in the world since then as our global community continues to try to slow the spread of COVID-19. I only address the pandemic for a moment at the top of the episode and then continue with the regularly scheduled conversation about helping children navigate their own decision-making posture. Perhaps more than ever before this is a good time to talk with kids about keeping our minds on just the next right thing in front of us. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Episode 94: Ask the Second Question Too Small to Ignore by Wess Stafford Families Where Grace is in Place  by Jeff VanVonderen Mark 10:15-16 Grab a copy of The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

Today’s episode is for anyone who has let something go and is now considering what it might look like to re-invite that thing back into your life in a new way. If you’ve been thinking about returning to something you left behind but aren’t sure where to start, listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Episode 11: Wear Better Pants My book Simply Tuesday - small moment living in a fast-moving world Zechariah 4:10 Grab a copy of The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

Weighing our options is important. But overthinking options and possibilities can keep us from actually making a decision. It's possible to be so distracted looking at the wall that we spend all our time there and we forget where we’re going and why we’re on the road in the first place. Here's a 10 minute reminder to keep your eyes on the road.  Links + Resources From This Episode: Learn more about hope*writers Learn more about Tsh Oxenreider and Literary London Episode 100: Tell Me About You (and I’ll Tell You About Me) Grab a copy of my book, The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

In our last episode, I talked about the HALT method and how using that can help when we have big decisions to make. In summary, try to avoid making big decisions when you’re hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. Instead, do the next right thing - eat, breathe, find a friend, or go to bed Today I've come up with another acronym to help us consider other states of being that could skew our ability to think clearly about decisions: FOGI (pronounced foggy - Are you annoyed with me yet? Hang in there!) Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Episode 115: Before You Decide, HALT Episode 21: Find a No Mentor Episode 80: Don't Take Offense Grab a copy of my book, The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

If you’re listening to this episode and you’re well-rested, well-fed, clear-headed, at peace, happy, even-tempered, and feeling basically great about life then this episode might not be for you today. For the rest of us? The halt method could save us from making decisions more complicated than they need to be simply by asking these four simple questions. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Episode 114: Welcome Your Loneliness Episode 109: Wait Until The Morning Jean Yang's tweet from December 6th Grab a copy of my book, The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

In my letter to my readers last week I mentioned some loneliness I’ve been experiencing lately and a reader wrote back and asked me to share more about that. My first response in my head was a sharp no way but then my second thought was maybe. And the ellipses that follow that maybe? Is today’s episode. When we’re feeling lonely, what’s our next right thing? I can’t say I really have answers to that question, but I do have words and I do have stories and sometimes when you’re feeling lonely, words and stories land better than answers anyway. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Episode 113: Decide to Decide Matthew 11 Sign up to receive my monthly letter Grab a copy of my book, The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

As I pay attention to my own life and the life of people around me, I’ve come to the conclusion that we can trace a lot of our anxiety, stress, and feelings of overwhelm back to a single or a series of unmade decisions. It’s not always because we are putting those decisions off. Sometimes It’s because we don’t even realize we’re carrying them. Today’s episode is a simple practice in uncovering decisions that need to be made and doing the next right thing to make them. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Grab a copy of my book, The Next Right Thing  What Now? by Ann Patchett Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript