"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9
As you may remember about a year ago, in my blog post Life Hacks, I shared with you my Personal Commandments or life hacks. Additionally, I broke down for you Life Hack #1 which is Be Yourself (in my Happiness blog post),,, Well, I have a confession to make. This past year, I have not been very good at remembering my own list of commandments. As I was reviewing them recently, I was a bit embarrassed to realize my blatant disregard of a few.
But, as we all know, getting off track is okay as long as we try to get back on the track. That’s what’s important. With the new year approaching, it seems like an apropos time. Therefore, as a refresher to you and to me, here are my twelve personal life hacks.
1. Be yourself.
2. Do the next right thing.
3. Pay attention.
4. Be honest.
5. Love big.
6. Be kind.
7. Laugh.
8. Appreciate beauty.
9. Seek to understand.
10. Remove expectations.
11. Be present.
12. Choose joy.
Today, I’d like to unpack life hack number two with you. Do the next right thing.
First off, I’ve got to tell you, this is one I have not been too faithful in completing recently. It is not that I have been doing “bad” things, necessarily. It’s just that I haven’t been doing the next right thing, at least not my next right thing.
Another admission: This is not an original idea. I stole it. And truth be told, the person I stole it from stole it, too. It has been stolen on numerous occasions which, I feel, proves it is not an original thought, but also proves to be a basic human truth.
I stole my concept of the next right thing from Emily P. Freeman, who is a podcaster, author and runs an organization called Hope Writers, that I someday aspire to be a part of. In her podcast, Emily admits that she was not the founder of the thought… Michael J. Fox is credited with quotes towards doing the next right thing, as are Teddy Roosevelt, John A. Passaro and Nikki Duvall. So it’s not original, but we are in good company.
It is worthy of note that, although I have never seen the Disney movie Frozen 2, I am aware that there is even a song in that film called The Next Right Thing. Go figure.
But I digress… Regardless of the root of the concept, I’m sure that doing the next right thing can mean something different to everyone. Here, I will share what it means to me (since this is my blog and you have come here to be imparted with my empirical wisdom). Doing the next right thing for me means, not doing the next wrong thing. I know, profound, right? Now stay with me. Doing is action. It is a verb. So doing in both scenarios, right and wrong, is what is driving the action. If we are doing, we are doing. If we are not doing, we are not doing (the epiphanies are deep here, right? I know it.).
But now I’m going to challenge your thinking. Don’t over simplify this, even though it seems simple... In our not doing, we are doing. Sometimes doing gets us caught up in a perpetual cycle. It’s hard to get off once the Ferris-Wheel-of-doing gets started.
So before you do, take a moment to not do and think about what needs to be done. Have I lost you? Are you with me?
You see, I often find myself in a place where I think action will be the solution. So I jump in and get started. Put my head down. Do the work. That’s what I’ve been doing for the last year. I’ve been doing. However, if I don’t take time to ascertain if this is the right work, I may find myself looking back on hours, days or even years worth of work that was just busy-ness. Time wasted because it wasn’t the next right thing. It was only the next thing.
Oh, if you only knew how much time, effort and energy I have thrown at those wrong things!
So in doing the next right thing, I first have to stop. I have to stop and think about what the next right thing is… I have to take a break from the pattern of busy-ness and determine if I am moving for the sake of momentum (and habit) or for the sake of growth (and change). If I’m completely honest, the answer is that it is usually momentum that is the motivation.
Momentum is easy. Momentum is natural and comfortable. But momentum doesn’t get you where you need to go, unless where you need to go is in circles. There is little aim in the momentum of just doing. It is habitual and rote. Therefore, when I say do the next right thing, I am saying determine what is the next right step before you take it. Figure it out. Don’t just assume. Don’t be a victim to momentum. Granted, there are no guarantees, you could still end up off course. I know I have. But the next right thing that is done with intention has much better potential than the next thing done out of momentum.
As I said before, the key is in the stopping. That is the hardest part. Putting on the breaks. You will feel like you’re standing still in the fast-lane of life. But I promise you, the longer you stand there, the more comfortable you will become. The more important your decisions will feel. The more you will begin to believe in yourself. You will understand yourself, who you truly are and what you truly believe. The stopping will allow you to find confidence in what is right. So then, it will be much easier to take those next steps. It's not easy. It takes practice. But I think if you continue to stop, think and choose, what is the next right thing, you will find yourself growing toward a more confident and more happy place where you can be more authentic and more content.
In all my life hacks, there is complexity in the simplicity. When you read “do the next right thing” it seems like a no-brainer, but when applied to life, it is complex and difficult. It is unpleasant, uncomfortable and sometimes nearly impossible to step out of the complacency and examine what is right for you in the next season, the next day, the next hour, the next moment. But it’s worth it. As with any investment in yourself, you won’t regret it and the reward will be worth the risk. Give it a try. Think about what is your next right thing, and then do it. What have you got to lose?
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