The Next Right Thing

This time of year encourages a new start, a letting go, a shaking loose of old skins and embracing a new kind of strength. Maybe growing and maturity means releasing. But what if part of releasing is allowing? What if shaking it off without first holding it out only means it will come back around again (and maybe not in very kind ways next time.) What if letting go starts with letting in? That's what The Welcoming Prayer from Father Thomas Keating is all about. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Help your child explore their creativity with 30% off a KiwiCo crate with code NEXTRIGHTTHING Episode 114: Welcome Your Loneliness Preorder The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

From favorite foods to honest confessions, 2020 has been a year of making beautiful things. In our final episode of the year, I'm sharing seven categories of things I made and encourage you to reflect on the significant memories, confessions, decisions and more that you made this year as well. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Listen to the other episodes in this series here: 5 Books I Read, 10 Things I Watched, and 5 Things I Listened To Kendra's Blank Canvas Cake and Bri McKoy's Doubleshot Iced Coffee The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi Artifact Uprising Photo Book (get $20 off your first purchase!) My IG Live with Natasha Sistrunk Robinson Preorder The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

This episode is part of a mini-series where I'm sharing my favorite things I read, watched, listened to, and made this year. If your year had a soundtrack, what would be on it? Today I'm sharing a few of my favorite things I listened to this year. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Get $100 off your first month of Talkspace with code NEXTRIGHTTHING Taylor Swift's folklore and evermore The Popcast with Knox and Jamie (Episodes 337, 361, and 380) My Spotify Playlists, specifically The Work The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding by Jennifer Robson Voxer app Preorder The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

Today's episode brings us to another level of our relationship because I'm going to share with you shows I watch and in doing so, you will learn something about me for better or for worse. I tried to be super honest and share with you things I watch and love that came to mind immediately (and not just things that might impress you - these will not, I assure you) so some will be basic and mainstream TV and others aren't TV at all because we have all kinds of ways we watch things these days. Maybe your next right thing is to kick it on back and find a new-to-you show! This episode is part of a mini-series where I'm sharing my favorite things I read, watched, listened to, and made this year. Links + Resources From This Episode: Enjoy 50% off your first month at Kiwico with code NEXTRIGHTTHING Today (December 15th) is the last day to get The Quiet Collection for Christmas Episode 38: Zoom Out Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

In our brand new The Next Right Thing Guided Journal, we'll have one page per month dedicated to A Happy List: a place to record the things we read, watched, listened to, and made. In the spirit of celebrating my next right favorite things from this year, today I'm sharing 5 books I read and loved this year. Listen in! Links + Resources From This Episode: Explore your creativity with a free trial of Skillshare (Premium membership is less than $10/ month!) Will the Circle Be Unbroken?: A Memoir of Learning to Believe You're Gonna Be Okay by Sean Dietrich The Dutch House by Ann Patchett The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible by Scot McKnight Be the Bridge: Pursuing God's Heart for Racial Reconciliation by Latasha Morrison Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First.: 10 Questions to Take Your Friendships to the Next Level by Laura Tremaine Learn more about The Quiet Collection for Christmas Pre0rder The Next Right Thing Guided Journal: A Decision-Making Companion Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

This year has led us to places we would rather not go. But here we are anyway, waiting for relief, praying for healing, and holding on to hope the best we can. To help usher us into the Advent season and companion us to the finish line of 2020, I've created a brand new version of The Quiet Collection for Christmas and it's available now. In today's episode, I'll share the story behind it and I hope you'll listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Learn more about The Quiet Collection Shadow and Light by Tsh Oxenreider Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

Today I want to talk about Jesus. I can't talk about the importance of remembering who you are without talk about who I am. And to talk about who I am, I have to talk about Jesus. It's funny when you do the kind of work I do, some people think you don't talk about Jesus enough and others think you do it too much. I'm not trying to strike any kind of balance here y'all, I'm just trying to be a person. I mention our friend Jesus every now and then. You may be used to that by now. I want you to know you're welcome in this space no matter what you believe about Jesus and I hope you'll stick around for the conversation. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Enjoy 50% off any crate line and free shipping at KiwiCo with code NextRightThing Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

In today's episode I'm sharing about one decision I've already made for the holidays and I have a special guest to share the news with. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Shadow and Light by Tsh Oxenreider Experience stamps.com with a four-week free trial with code "Next Right Thing" Learn about Literary London Check out my That Sounds Fun Network neighbor, The Matthew West Podcast Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

Most of us long for clarity -- in our decisions, our relationships, and our vocation. As Brene Brown has taught us, "Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind." Sometimes the simplest way to offer clarity is one we often overlook: saying words with our out loud voice. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) Explore your creativity with a free trial of Skillshare Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

No matter what happens in our elections, our churches, our families, and relationships we still have work to do, people to care for, places to go, dinner to make, homes to clean, proposals to write, losses to grieve, appointments to schedule, small wins to celebrate, emails to write and decisions to make. We still have life to live and if there's one thing I know about you, it's that you truly want to live your one life well. I want that too and I've found this next right thing posture to be most helpful when this life begins to feel like a Rubik's cube in the hands of a toddler. Having a rhythm to count on is key, but how to get there? Let's return to 3 simple steps to help you restart your life-giving rhythms. Listen in. P.S. We're celebrating 10 Million downloads and we would love to hear from you! Details here. Links + Resources From This Episode: To celebrate 10 million downloads, I'd love to hear how The Next Right Thing has impacted your life A Testament of Devotion by Thomas R. Kelly Use the code "NEXTRIGHTTHING" to get $100 off your first month of Talkspace Explore your creativity with a free trial of Skillshare Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

One common mistake we make when we have the desire to make good decisions is that we try to peer into the future to discover what it might hold, what the outcomes we want to achieve are, and what roadblocks we wish to avoid. The only problem is the future hasn't happened yet, so how can it possibly teach us? Instead of looking ahead and guessing about outcomes, there's something to be said for looking back and gathering information. Today I'll share about my weekly practice of reflection and a brand new resource I created to help! Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Get 30% off your first art or science project with KiwiCo Preorder The Next Right Thing Guided Journal: A Decision-Making Companion Sign up to receive my monthly letter Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

With an important Presidential election coming up in the United States in just a few short weeks, we are preparing to make decisions that don't only impact our own households but also the people who live all over this beautiful country and all over the world. No matter how you choose to vote, chances are you've experienced a fair amount of anxiety, frustration, and relational conflict during this season. What are some ways to stay grounded and clear-headed as we do our next right thing? Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Experience stamps.com with a four-week free trial with code "Next Right Thing" On Being with Krista Tippett: Arlie Hochschild Episode 103: Look for the Children: Mister Rogers and Decision Making Be The Bridge Podcast with Latasha Morrison Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

When the big picture is impossible to grasp but the next thing feels inconsequential, it can help to remember the medium picture instead. If you're questioning if your daily decisions are adding up to something good, holding on to the medium picture can be a relief. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Explore your creativity with 2 free months of Skillshare premium membership. Searching for Certainty by Shelly Miller Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

It's been four months since we all put black squares in our Instagram feeds. While the messaging and origin of those blackout Tuesday posts may have become confusing and some of the initial intentions of that initiative was lost in the frenzy of the fast-paced nature of social media, I remain grateful for that day in early summer of 2020. For some of us, it marked a beginning, or a maybe a new beginning — a moment we can point back to and say: "That was the day I made a decision to be more than not racist. That was the day I decided to be anti-racist." Here's a personal update of what has happened since and what it could look like to be anti-racist in our everyday lives. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Use code NEXTRIGHTTHING to get $100 off your first month on Talkspace On Racism: Learning to Speak and to Listen The Holy Longing by Ronald Rolheiser One: Unity in a Divided World by Deidra Riggs Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison What Lies Between Us by Dr. Lucretia Berry How to Save Things on Instagram Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

In this final episode in our senses series, today we'll discover the role our senses might play in our life with God. One of the most life-giving discoveries I've made over the past decade or so has been to understand that our expression of faith doesn't have to look just one way. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Discover new things with 30% off Kiwico The Divine Hours by Phyllis Tickle The Listening Life by Adam S. McHugh Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas To Bless the Space Between Us by John O'Donohue Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

Fear can be our friend because it helps us to survive by telling us to avoid dangerous things. But when fear works too hard, it's easy to lose our context. We can become hyper-focused on certain cues while ignoring other ones. When fear starts to work overtime, it can help to engage in this simple practice to bring us back to center again. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Uncover personal stories about your past at ancestry.com Rachel Pearl VanEtten's website Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

Questions of timing, next steps, and which path to take can consume our thoughts, causing us to be distracted, lose sleep, or make a decision in haste just to have it behind us. That's because unmade decisions hold power. If you find yourself stuck in the decision-making process, it could help to re-engage in the world around you in ways that have nothing to do with the decision. Maybe it's time to get out of your head and into your body. Links + Resources From This Episode: Explore your creativity with 2 free months of Skillshare premium membership. Why We Have Our Best Ideas in the Shower: The Science of Creativity by Leo Widrich for Buffer Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist Hope*writers is open for enrollment! Learn more or take our 30-second quiz Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

In an attempt to disrupt the cycle of overthinking and get out of my own head, I'm working to pay attention to my body, namely my five senses. This is not my most natural way. If you can relate, I hope that intentionally seeing, touching, smelling, tasting, and hearing might prove to be a grounding practice as we consider our next right thing in several areas of our lives. Today I'm glad to have my sister, Myquillyn Smith (The Nester), join me for a conversation about how to start with our senses at home. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Uncover personal stories about your past at ancestry.com Episode 141: Redo Your Morning Routine Welcome Home by Myquillyn Smith Myquillyn's Autumn playlist Emily's Autumn playlist Myquillyn's website, The Nester Atomic Habits by James Clear Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

If you have decisions to make but feel like you're just circling around the same thoughts, fears, ideas, and possibilities in your head but can't find an out to take action, I want to invite you to journey with me over the course of the next several episodes toward discovering better decision-making habits by engaging our bodies, particularly our five senses. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Get 30% off your first KiwiCo crate Episode 141: Redo Your Morning Routine My conversation with Susan Stabile on The Enneagram Journey Embracing The Body by Tara Owens Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

Sometimes we create routines and other times, we have to break them down. Today's episode is an encouragement for anyone who feels stuck because the routines you had before aren't working anymore. Solidarity, sister. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Uncover personal stories about your past at ancestry.com Episode 76: Create a Simple Morning Routine Episode 90: Start with This Simple Rhythm Episode 140: Do the Opposite Shannan Martin's Instagram account Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

In the fifth season of Seinfeld, Jerry's friend George Costanza decided to do the opposite of his instincts and as a result, he had the best day of his life. Ignoring your instincts may not be good advice, but there's still something to learn from doing the opposite. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Listeners of The Next Right Thing can get 2 free months of Skillshare premium membership here. Get The Between Places journal for 15% off with code NEXTRIGHTTHING here Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

I have invited one of my best friends in the world, author Kendra Adachi, to sit down and talk with us about simplifying our choices by deciding once (when we can) and remembering that we are the boss of our decisions and not the other way around. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Get 30% off your first month and free shipping at Kiwico here. The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi Find Kendra on Instagram or online Cozy Minimalist Home by Myquillyn Smith Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download transcript

When it comes to the decisions we have to make, the choices we carry and the many potential roads we could walk down, its important to remember that we don't face these decisions neutrally or at zero every time. Like a good novelist begins her story with the story already happening, that's how we arrive at every decision we make. And that means we're carrying some things we may need to leave behind. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Episode 137: Remember What You Know Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi (Details about preorder bonuses here). Email me here with questions you may have for Kendra The Sacrament of Letting Go by Macrina Wiederkehr Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

From the scientists to the school board, no one really knows for sure what the next best step is in the midst of this continuing coronavirus epidemic — and those who thought they knew for sure before keep changing their minds. We have to make decisions without all the facts, with a rapidly changing landscape of advice, and with fewer certainties we've come to rely upon. Now more than ever it's essential to remember what we already know and practice doing just the next right thing. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Today's episode is sponsored by Ancestry.com. The Next Right Thing listeners can get their AncestryDNA kit and free trial here. Episode 33: Gather Co-Listeners Psalm 23 (MSG) Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

Today's episode is inspired by a few comments I received after I shared on Instagram that I am a slow processor. Several of you raised your hand and said you are slow processors too and it's good to hear from someone like me who continues to put content out weekly and seems to be a functioning human adult person but that I too am someone who thinks slow. Is there room for slow processing in this fast moving world? How can we make thoughtful decisions when everything moves so fast? Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: The Next Right Thing listeners can get 2 free months of Skillshare! Details here. 10 Things To Tell You: Has The Internet Ever Changed Your Mind? Episode 60: Start Before You're Ready Essentialism by Greg McKewon Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

For the last few years, I've created some intentional space to slow down a bit on purpose around the same time every year. In today's episode I wanted to share with you what that looks like practically and a few ideas that could help you do the same. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: The Actor's Life by Jenna Fischer The Nap Ministry on Instagram Episode 88: Come Away For A While The Rest of the Body // A Guest Post by Tara M. Owens Embracing the Body by Tara Owens Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

How can we continue to move forward when so many things seem like they're standing still? When we're still carrying grief? When our hearts are broken? Sometimes our next right thing isn't to solve a problem, it's to carry it longer. It's called lament and I'm learning it is my next right thing. Maybe it's yours too? Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: The Next Right Thing listeners can get 2 free months of Skillshare! Details here. This Too Shall Last by K.J. Ramsey Psalm 13 (NIV) The Redemptive Edge: Creative Action Begins with Lament Whistling in the Dark by Frederick Buechner Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer John Dewey once said, "We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience." At the end of every month, I take some time to reflect because in order to discern my next right thing, it's important to learn from the past. If you would like to practice refection but don't know where to start, asking and answering questions is a solid beginning. Today I'll show you how. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Sign up to receive my monthly newsletter The Book of Waking Up by Seth Haines With You Now by Ellie Holcomb Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

In the United States, we place a high value on our independence, on our ability to choose for ourselves, and to have things the way we want them when we want them. And while I know I'm speaking in broad strokes and this doesn't necessarily describe every US citizen, it does in many ways describe us as a whole. But this is not necessarily a shared value around the world. Why is it so hard for us to make decisions? Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Literary London with Tsh Oxenreider In Europe, little refrigerators hold a grand reason for less waste by Evan Kleiman for the LA Times Sheena Iyengar's TED Talk The Art of Choosing and her book by the same title How cultures around the world make choices by Amy S. Choi What's Your Decision? by Fathers Michael Sparough and Tim Hipskind Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

What can I do? This is a question many of us are asking as we're learning more about what it means to work towards hopeful change and justice in this country. And in that question, it can become quickly overwhelming to know where to start. Speaking as a fellow journeyer without easy answers, I still believe what we talk about here every single week is as relevant now as ever - do the next right thing. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: On Racism: Learning to Speak and to Listen Ephesians 2 (NIV) One by Deidra Riggs Start Where You Are by Rashawn Copeland One by Deidra Riggs Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

I'm used to asking what sounds smart, wise, kind, or thrifty. But when it comes to making decisions, one question I often forget to ask: what sounds fun? Here's a personal story of how I'm learning to give that question some attention in my own life and how it's impacting my business and ministry. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Episode 114: Welcome Your Loneliness Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert Annie F. Downs and her podcast That Sounds Fun That Sounds Fun Network Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

This episode may seem a bit disjointed, last minute, and scattered. That's because it is all of those things. But if we wait to speak out until we feel polished or impressive, I fear we'll be silent for far too long. I confess that's been true for me. Sometimes our next right thing is to stumble forward together, not because we know exactly what we're doing but for the sake of love and justice. May we know when to speak up and when to stay silent. When we are silent, may it be because we are learning and listening and not because we are afraid. Links + Resources From This Episode: Brownicity and Dr. Lucretia Berry Osheta Moore on Instagram Download a transcript of this episode.

Months of stay-at-home orders or even safer-at-home campaigns can drive even the most homebody among us to find ways to at least want to get outside or find a change of scenery. But since travel might not be in the cards for us anytime soon, what might be a next-right-thing posture we could practice today? Inspired by Tsh Oxenreider's book At Home in the World, lately I've been thinking a lot about books and about home so today you'll get some reflection on both. Perhaps you, like me, could use a bit of reframing as it relates to this place called home. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: My interview with Anne Bogel on What Should I Read Next My book, Simply Tuesday Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary How Ramona Quimby Helps Kids Make Sense of This Unstable World by Rachel Richardson At Home in the World by Tsh Oxenreider Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

At the beginning of the year, you may have imagined what 2020 would bring. I feel sure no one imagined what we would end up getting. Today I want to invite you to join me in an exercise of reimagination. And here's a hint: you're already really good at it. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Grace Discipleship: John Freeman Here and Now by Henri Nouwen hope*writers: We're open for enrollment May 18 - 22, 2020! The War of Art by Steven Pressfield Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

In his book based on a commencement speech he gave at Dartmouth College in 2011, Charles Wheelan tells a story about advice he never forgot and wants to pass on to graduates: Don't try to be great. Let's put the pandemic aside, discover the freedom in that counter-intuitive advice, and give three cheers to the students, teachers, and families of the graduating class of 2020. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: 10 1/2 Things No Commencement Speaker Has Ever Said by Charles Wheelan Life Without Lack by Dallas Willard Souvenirs of Solitude by Brennan Manning Episode 81: Listen To This Before Graduation Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

These days, we all are making decisions with less awareness of what's going to happen next, with less dependence on a predictable life rhythm, and with less solid information. It's no wonder our daily decisions feel so hard. Should we clean or rest? Watch the news or avoid it? Be strict with the kids or lighten up? Should we use this time to be productive or take a break? Work hard or calm down? See friends from a safe social distance or not at all? Celebrate now or wait for when we can all gather? What is our next right thing and how can we know? That's today's episode. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

The six verses in Psalm 23 do more than comfort us in death. They guide us in life. And if we're paying attention, these six lines can teach us how to walk into every room every day of our lives. Psalm 23 is a next right thing kind of psalm and I will never get over it. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Psalm 23 (NASB) You Learn By Living by Eleanor Roosevelt Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

Today I'm revisiting a topic we've talked about here before but with a bit of a new spin in light of the world having changed and everything. I hope this will be especially helpful if you worked from home before the pandemic and now you have to find new ways to do that thing you've always done — listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Episode 01: Become a Soul Minimalist Episode 88: Come Away For A While Episode 84: A Beginner's Guide to Self-Reflection Episode 73: Design Your Rhythm of Work – Theme Days Episode 121: How to Discern and Decide A Case for Single-Tasking by Jason Fitzpatrick for Lifehacker Episode 90: Start with this Simple Rhythm Walking on Water by Madeleine L'Engle Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

From Halley's comet in 1986 to the Total Solar Eclipse in 2017, I've been fascinated with sky things my whole life. Earlier this month it was the full April moon that reminded me of the truth I hold most dear: that in every transition, in every grief, in every goodbye, disappointment, offense, breakup, misunderstanding, and ending, there is mysterious potential. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Colossians 1:27 The Holy Longing by Ronald Rolheiser 2 Corinthians 4 Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

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

A lot of what we talk about here isn't necessarily about the specific decision you're holding like which job to say yes to or whether or not you ought to marry that person. Instead, we talk a lot about mindset, posture, and cultivating a listening way of life so that when tough decisions come our way, we're better equipped to move through them. Today I'll share two words we can eliminate from our vocabulary, especially when we're talking about our roles, our work, or the roles and work of others. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: A Million Little Ways The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence Grab a copy of my book, The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript