The Next Right Thing: A Simple, Soulful Practice for Making Life Decisions

by Emily P. Freeman

Here’s the truth: you can only make decisions based on what you know at the time. We live in an outcomes-based culture, where the correctness of our choice seems based on the success of the result.

Essentialism is not about how to get more things done, it’s about how to get the right things done. It doesn’t mean just doing less for the sake of less either. It is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at our highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential.1 If it feels hard for you to decide what is essential, here are three ways to clear the soul clutter and get back to the basics. One, be picky who you listen to. We’ll talk about this more in a later chapter, but if somebody’s words, plans,

Two, schedule a listening day. This

Three, quit something. It doesn’t matter what it is. It doesn’t have to be big. When you say no to something small, it could help to build your courage to say no to something bigger. Remember,

“Pay attention to what you pay attention to.”

Keep the request short, to the point, and tell them you don’t expect them to give you answers but simply would love to have their kind, listening presence to help you process this decision or transition.

When we are comparing, we cannot connect.

It’s just not possible. To some degree, we all question where we fit and how we’re perceived. Don’t we all work hard to protect the lingering child that still crouches within us and longs for security, worth, and love? Don’t we all hope for connection but often choose protection instead? When we bring it back to discerning our next right thing today, especially if we have a decision to make, we may have a tendency to base that decision on comparison and protection rather than on a relational connection.