The Next Right Thing

So much of our lives are filled with waiting but no one really ever teaches us how to do it. How do we know when we need to wait? How do we know when it's time to move? There's several kinds of waiting, today I'll share four: the kind we talk about, the kind we don't talk about, the kind that sneaks up on you, and the kind that needs to stop. Links + Resources From This Episode: John O'Donohue Episode 65: Take Off Your Crown hope*writers: If you're a writer who's been waiting to take your writing seriously, let today be the day things change. Open through 1/25 Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

When an ending is difficult, it's easy to color the entire reality through the lens of how it ended, whether it's a relationship, a job, a dream project, or a life. The ending does not get to define the whole story. Maybe it's time to take back the narrative. This could be a life-giving part of your healing. This could be your next right thing. Links + Resources From This Episode: Budder on Emily's Instagram Stories Psalm 37: 23-26 Psalm 27:14 A Million Little Ways: Uncover the Art You Were Made to Live- ebook sale on 1.59! Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

One question can make the difference between living with all consuming daily stress and a lighthearted sense of hope. Links + Resources From This Episode: The Welcoming Prayer by Father Thomas Keating Things Above Podcast by James Bryan Smith Preorder The Next Right Thingbook - coming April 2! Luke 17: 20-21 Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

Before you make any major decisions in the new year, here's a 3 minute blessing to start things off.

We don't want to wait until the other side of Christmas to finally pause and say, hello soul. I've missed you this month. Instead, we work to create space now. For a few minutes today, we'll make room, we'll take a moment to acknowledge our soul and remember the miracle of God With Us. Links + Resources From This Episode: Renovation of the Heartby Dallas Willard The Art of Everyday Living - Emily's keynote from The Breath and The Clay 2014 Tickets: The Breath and the Clay / March 22-24, 2019 / Winston-Salem, North Carolina Top Ten Books for 2018 Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

During Advent, it's true we wait expectantly. It's also true we're preparing for an arrival. What does preparation look like for you today? Might it include creating some space? Making some room? Clearing some clutter - and not just the kind you can see? Links + Resources From This Episode: The Quiet Collection for Christmas - Learn more here Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Joy to the World

If you want to find relief from seasonal anxiety, I would love to help. Links + Resources From This Episode: The Quiet Collection for Christmas - Available through 12/11/18 The Ordering of Love: The New and Collected Poems of Madeleine L'engleby Madeleine L'Engle Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

Our choices define our lives - not just the ones we're carrying now about our future, but also the ones we've already made in our past. Wouldn't we do well to bring them to mind and see what they have to teach us? In this episode I'll share my own simple rhythm of reflection in hopes that it could inspire you to come up with your own. Links + Resources From This Episode: Last week's Episode 60 + Big Announcement Earth Crammed With Heaven: A Spirituality of Everyday Life by Elizabeth Dreyer One Line A Day: A Five-Year Memory Book by Chronicles Book Staff Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer Seasonal Reflectional Lists Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman And here's that big announcement from last week, just in case you missed it! The Next Right Thing: A Simple, Soulful Practice for Making Life Decisions

Starting before you're ready moving even when you're not sure where you're going is only possible when you have a next-right-thing mindset. Today I'll share a story from my own life and, in the process, offer what I hope will be as fun an announcement for you to hear as it is for me to give. Links + Resources From This Episode: The Weight of Glory by C. S. Lewis Episode 27: Stop Rushing Clarity Marie Forleo Seven Days of Still Moments The Quiet Collection Waiting List Simply Tuesday: My last book Blue Sky Period B J Novak talks about his creative process The Monthly Letter - sign up for first word news And here's that big announcement! The Next Right Thing: A Simple, Soulful Practice for Making Life Decisions by Emily P. Freeman

It's possible to be surrounded by silence everyday and completely miss the point. It's also possible to lead a full, loud life and still receive the gifts God has to offer us in the pockets of silent time we can find. You can be busy and soulful at the same time. The key is in paying attention. Links + Resources From This Episode: Episode 58: Welcome Silence The Monthly Letter Let Your Life Speak: Listening to the Voice of Vocationby Parker Palmer Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God's Transforming Presenceby Ruth Haley Barton Have One Last Thing delivered to your inbox on Saturday mornings To Bless The Space Between Us: A Book of Blessingsby John O'Donohue What's your next right thing today? Share it using #mynextrightthing + tag @emilypfreeman! Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

In 2012 singer John Mayer had surgery on his vocal chords and was ordered not to speak for two months or sing for six. His healing depended on his silence. While his need was physical, perhaps silence is required for all kinds of healing: the wounds of the body and of the soul. Today's episode offers a short practice to help ease into silence, one small moment at a time. Links + Resources From This Episode: Shattered Dreams by Larry Crabb Psalm 62:5-6 (The Message) Episode 57: Don't Dread Your Weird Life Sharing Silence by Gunilla Norris What's your next right thing today? Share it using #mynextrightthing + tag @emilypfreeman! Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

To take action and make a decision requires something of you. But make no mistake — putting decisions off require something too, and that may be even more expensive. Links + Resources: The Prayer of Saint Patrick What's your next right thing today? Share it using #mynextrightthing + tag @emilypfreeman! Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

Focus is hard because there's both so much going on and often not enough information. When you have a big idea but aren't sure where to start, listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Cozy Minimalist Home by Myquillyn Smith The Nester Cozy Home Tour - I'll be at the Greenville, SC stop on Nov. 4! Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

There's a skill to walking in the dark: you have to go slow, trust what you know, and take it one step at a time. After the winds and rain of hurricane Michael knocked out power in the city, we navigated our way through our dark house, not a beam of light from a street lamp or a night light or even the moon. Whether darkness comes as an absence of light or a waning faith, the way to walk through it is by doing the next right thing. Links + Resources From This Episode: Ten Best Books I Read in 2017 Ten Best Books I Read in 2016 Ten Best Books I Read in 2015 Ten Best Books I Read in 2014 Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor Four by Sleeping At Last Christa Wells on Instagram Psalm 23 Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

In a world that seems to only value a twisted kind of angular strength, let's find ways to receive the curves, to be nurtured by God and one another. Links + Resources From This Episode: The Ministry of Ordinary Places: Waking Up to God's Goodness Around You by Shannan Martin The Ministry of Ordinary Places - That post I mentioned I wrote because I can't stop talking about this book Episode 53: Allow the Present to be Imperfect Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

The rest from decision fatigue doesn't descend upon me when my work is finally finished. Instead, it comes slowly as I'm willing to allow the present to be imperfect. Links + Resources From This Episode: Choosing Rest by Sally Breedlove Rhythms of Rest by Shelly Miller Simply Tuesday by Emily P. Freeman The Lazy Genius Podcast Episode 77: The Lazy Genius Rests The Next Right Thing Podcast Episode 40: Keep Your Rest Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

Decision fatigue can creep into our life for any number of reasons, but one isn't as obvious as some others. When change rises slow or comes up from behind, it can turn your life a different color so gradually you don't realize it until you compare things to this time last year. Discover what slow change might be happening within or around you and see if that might help clarify your next right thing. Links + Resources From This Episode: Episode 58 - Girls Night - My conversation with Stephanie May Wilson about life choices, decision-making, and more. The Holy Longing: The Search for A Christian Spirituality by Ronald Rolheiser Thanks @erinhmoon and @terrancedjackson for that delightful IG story review of The Next Right Thing! Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

If you are feeling overwhelmed, carrying a heavy decision, or live with what seems to be a growing imbalance between the work you do during the week and the rest you're supposed to be doing on the weekends, choosing a pastime could be a worthy next right thing. Links + Resources From This Episode: Churchill's Tribute to King George VI Painting As A Pastimeby Winston Churchill Hearing Godby Dallas Willard Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

Last year I decided to enroll in grad school. But first, I lost sleep, asked everyone's opinion, and made myself crazy. Here's what happened next. Links + Resources From This Episode: Things Above Podcast The Apprentice Series by James Bryan Smith Visit hope*writers to learn more about our membership Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

Making the decision to move forward with an idea is hard enough, but one thing that can keep us feeling especially stuck is trying to move forward with a decision alone because we are afraid. When it comes to collaboration it takes a certain amount of courage to say yes to an invitation. But for some of us it takes courage in even greater measure to extend the invitation in the first place. Links + Resources From This Episode: Literary London on Simple - episode 141 Literary London Interest Waiting List At Home In The Worldby Tsh Oxenreider The Lazy Genius Goes to London Learn more about hope*writers Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

As we continue to make our way through an ever changing set of circumstances, the seasons will keep rolling on, bringing with them both dreaded and hoped-for hellos and goodbyes. You may be holding on to a hopeful vision for your future, but perhaps you're questioning what that means for today. What do we do while we wait for seeds to grow? Listen in. Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript of this episode

When someone around us is struggling, what is our next right thing? Listen in.

Both the light and the shadows have an important role in our lives and embracing them both helps us grow towards our next right thing. Links + Resources From This Episode: Psalm 139: 5-18 My Summer in (20) Books - A list of books on my shelf this summer Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

We want see evidence of growth in our lives, but it can be discouraging when we can't figure out how to release old habits. Perhaps true maturity and a growing faith show up not in our ability to stand up straight and blameless, but in our willingness to turn, again and again, back to the face of God. Links + Resources From This Episode: Lamentations 3:19-32 On Making Friends and Partial Solutions by Tsh Oxenreider Ten Favorite Things of Summer by Emily P. Freeman Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

If you know you need to make a move but something is holding you back, listen in. You can read the transcript to this episode here. Instagram: @emilypfreeman Website: thenextrightthingpodcast.com

Psalm 139 is a familiar chapter, but what does it take to let your heart be searched by God and be led in the everlasting way? It sounds lovely, maybe a little terrifying, but mostly out of reach. Maybe it isn't as hard as all that. Maybe we just need a little bit of silence. I hope these few minutes will lead you right to it. Links + Resources From This Episode: Psalm 139:23-24 My friend, Kendra Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Visit The Next Right Thing for a transcript of this episode

Studies show our brains process spoken and written language differently. We may often sit to read scripture, but how often do we allow scripture to read us? It might be surprising how a small amount of intentional time can begin to smooth out the chaotic edges of your soul. This continues our summer series of still moments. Today's reflection is from Luke 5: 12-16 Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman visit The Next Right Thing for a transcript of episode 42

When we take a deep breath, it sends our body a message: You're going to be okay. In the beginning, God breathed life into mankind -- breath was the beginning. So it makes sense this is the first step to decluttering the soul, especially in the midst of transitions as we learn what it means to begin again. Today I'll share how I am working to maintain the integrity of my own offering to you by creating some space for my own soul to breathe. Links + Resources From This Episode: Episode 1: How to Become a Soul Minimalist Genesis 2:7 Episode 40: Keep Your Rest The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Ways that Jesus Is the Way by Eugene Peterson Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

Beneath our hectic schedules, our proud accomplishments, and our self-sufficiencies, we simply long to be loved and cared for right where we are, no strings attached. Maybe in these few minutes we have together, our God will father and mother us in all the ways we need the most. Links + Resources From This Episode: Psalm 23 Choosing Rest: Cultivating a Sunday Heart in a Monday World by Sally Breedlove Soul Keeping: Caring For the Most Important Part of You by John Ortberg Rhythms of Rest: Finding the Spirit of Sabbath in a Busy World by Shelly Miller The Dusty Ones: Why Wandering Deepens Your Faith by AJ Swoboda Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight In Our Busy Lives by Wayne Muller Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

The voice of the critic can keep us from our next right thing. But not all critical voices are created equally. Here's help to discern who to listen to and who to ignore. A few links from the episode: A Million Little Ways by Emily P. Freeman Little Goat Diner - Our breakfast place! Christine Caine Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Get the monthly letter: emilypfreeman.com/letter

This one simple sentence from a New York pastry chef could help you shift your perspective and take your next right step. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: How Milk Bar Founder Christina Tosi Went from Momofuku Employee to Bakery Chain CEO Chef's Table: Christina Tosi (Season 4 Episode 1)via Netflix To Bless This Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings by John O'Donohue Download Your Seasonal What I Learned Lists Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

With our full schedules and daily concerns, it's easy to feel overwhelmed with even the slightest disruption to our routine. With that in mind, today's suggestion might seem counter-intuitive: disrupting our routine can sometimes be exactly what we need to get unstuck. Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Let's connect! I send out a letter once a month with a list of recommended reads. Get this month's letter here.

Two things guaranteed to make your day more complicated: unawareness of your current situation and exaggeration of your future inability to handle it. Here's one simple practice to help you stay in today and simply do the next right thing. Links + Resources From This Episode: Psalm 118:24 Get One Last Thing every Saturday in your inbox Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Get the monthly letter here

When you're on a roll in Hollywood, you don't leave the industry. But that's exactly what actress, producer, and author Candace Cameron Bure decided to do. In the midst of the fear and second-guessing, one character trait remained certain throughout her life and career transitions - kindness. Listen in as she shares her story, because when you're in the midst of making a big decision, it helps to hear the decision-making process other people go through. Links + Resources From This Episode: Be Kind To One Another by Brian Morykon The Burning Edge of Dawn by Andrew Peterson Be Kind to Yourself by Andrew Peterson Candace Cameron Bure Kind Is The New Classy by Candace Cameron Bure A Million Little Ways by Emily P. Freeman Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Get the monthly letter here

The decisions that add to our fatigue aren't always big and significant ones. Sometimes things in life that are meant to be fun and delightful - choosing a paint color, wrapping a present, picking out plants - turn out instead to be one more decision we feel incapable of making. What is the next right thing in situations that overwhelm us but shouldn't? How can we move forward as a beginner in areas where we may not feel a lot of confidence but wish we did? Links + Resources From This Episode: Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert Begin Again by Leeana Tankersley Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Get the monthly letter here Find a complete transcript to this episode right here

If you are facing a big decision that could lead to a new start, perhaps you don't need a collection of gurus as much as you need a a group of co-listeners. Here's how I found mine. Find show notes and a complete transcript at thenextrightthingpodcast.com Find me on instagram @emilypfreeman

At a time when I felt pulled in many directions, I realized I was looking outside myself for a plan when I needed to look inside for a vision. My email inbox told me the story and this time, I had the good sense to pay attention. Links + Resources From This Episode: Episode 27: Stop Rushing Clarity The Inner Voice of Love: A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom by Henri Nouwen Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Get the monthly letter here Visit The Next Right Thing for a complete transcript of this 12 minute episode.

It's one thing to experience a new beginning, to usher in a time of new roles, new adventure, and new season of life. No matter what kind of new beginning a transition might bring, it also brings a new identity for us: a beginner. I've discovered I don't love being a beginner. I'd rather be an expert, thank you very much. But being a beginner is an unavoidable part of life transition. Let's close the gap between the joy of a new beginning and the dread of actually being a beginner by simply doing the next right thing. Find a complete transcript at thenextrightthingpodcast.com Begin Again: The Brave Practice of Releasing Hurt and Receiving Rest by Leanna Tankersley Too Small To Ignore: Why the Least of These Matters Most by Wess Stafford Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman For Writers! Check out hope*writers before the doors close

The way we move through our days is a lot more instinctual than we care to admit. We like to think we have clear reasons for things when in fact, most times we are feeling our way through. Do I feel safe? Do I feel seen? Do I feel heard? Do I feel in control? Do I have what it takes? On the surface, the decision could be as simple as deciding to join the PTA or not join the PTA. But deeper down and further in, it isn't always quite so clear cut. Today rather than tell you one of my own stories or the story of someone who has inspired me, I want to guide you through telling yourself your story, particularly as it relates to a decision you're carrying. New! Grab the free downloadable Practice Guide: How to Make One Decision at A Time right here. Prefer reading to listening? Find a complete transcript right here.

When you hold a dream – to craft a song, write a book, open a shop, get a degree – it can be hard to let it go even when the dream no longer fits. It feels like more than a loss, it feels like failure. But it doesn't have to. In fact, what if the letting go was actually a making room? The real art isn't the song, the book, the shop or the degree. The real art is something more, something deeper, something good. Today I'll share a story of a couple who realized their next right thing was to let a long-held dream go. But because they understood the real art, the dream lives on. Download a complete transcript at thenextrightthingpodcast.com Links + Resources From This Episode: 7 Antiques We Found at the Chartreuse Barn Sale from Our State Magazine A Million Little Ways: Uncover the Art You Were Made To Live by me, Emily P. Freeman Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Get the monthly letter here

Any de-clutterer knows the only way to make room is by letting stuff go. It's true for your house and equally true for your soul. Today I'll share 3 ways standing on your head can make room for something good - even if you never physically get upside down. Links + Resources From This Episode: The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Ways that Jesus is the Way by Eugene Peterson The Next Right Thing Podcast Episode 01: Become a Soul Minimalist Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Get the monthly letter here Download a complete transcript here

If you are distracted and overwhelmed by a particular decision and you just can't seem to move forward, you might feel like either something is wrong with your process or something is wrong with you. Neither one of these has to be true. In today's episode, I'll share two things you can let go of today that will help you take your next right step. Links + Resources From This Episode: The Quiet Collection Marie Forleo A Soul Minimalist's Guide to Relationships Psalm 37: 23-26 Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman If you prefer reading to listening, download a transcript of this episode right here.

Doing the next right thing in relationships starts with how we enter a room. It can mean the difference between connecting with them or comparing ourselves to them. Fair warning, today's episode is brought to you by some healthy self-reflection and a dash of narcissism. It's for a good cause. I hope you'll stick with me. Links + Resources From This Episode: Shauna Niequist Faith and Culture Writing Conference The Office (Season 5, Episode 16 "Lecture Circuit, Part 1") Jan Johnson Enneagram 4 Guerillas of Grace: Prayer For The Battle by Ted Loder A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L'Engle Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Get the monthly letter - emilypfreeman.com/letter

The only person you're guaranteed to be with every day of your life is you. Maybe your next right thing is to make some peace with yourself and come back home. For a complete transcript of this episode visit the show notes right here. Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman + get the monthly letter here: emilypfreeman.com/letter

When I have a question, the first thing I want is an answer. Sometimes answers are fairly easy to come by – How do you make pizza? What should I wear today? Who can drive to piano practice? But so often, the questions we have in life that give us trouble are the ones that aren't so linear. In my experience, these usually have to do with things like faith, vocation, and relationships. Today I'm sharing about a time in our life when my husband John and I desperately wanted answers but what we got instead was a series of arrows. This is a story of where they led. Links + Resources From This Episode: What Now? by Ann Patchett Episode 14: Know What You Want Grace Discipleship|| John Freeman A Million Little Ways: Uncover The Art You Were Made To Live by Emily P. Freeman The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God by Dallas Willard Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Get the monthly letter! emilypfreeman.com/letter

How can we discern our next right thing when we're confronted with unpredictable people? Today we'll explore the difference between a loving intention and a fear-based agenda. More From This Episode: Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Get the monthly letter here: emilypfreeman.com/letter Download a transcript of episode 23 at The Next Right Thing Podcast

When you finally find, name, and move toward the things you feel most called to, you will quickly discover some roadblocks in the form of some kind of limitation like time, money, fatigue, or support. Instead of fighting those, perhaps your next right thing is to embrace them. Links + Resources From This Episode: Let Your Life Speak by Parker J. Palmer Gary Morland, my Dad Psalm 23 Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership by Ruth Haley Barton My books, A Million Little Ways + Simply Tuesday (+ the Simply Tuesday small group leader guide) A Creative Liturgy of Everyday Life: Makers & Mystics Podcast - A further conversation I had about embracing limits with Sarah and Stephen Roach Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Get the monthly letter here: emilypfreeman.com/letter Visit The Next Right Thing Podcast show notes to download a complete transcript of this episode.

What do you do when you can't make a decision and you're too close to even know what you want and don't want? You need to find a No Mentor and eventually, learn to be your own. Links + Resources From This Episode: The Nester, my sister (my No Mentor) The Lazy Genius Collective Kendra Adachi (my other No Mentor) Bonita Lillie To Bless This Space Between Us by John O'Donohue Find me on instagram @emilypfreeman Join my monthly list

With computers in our pockets, the truth is we all have low-grade anxiety that messes with our ability to discern our next right thing. Today I'll share practical steps to take to eliminate of one of the most common anxiety triggers: the ones that show up in our feeds, our follows, and our online accounts. Mentions in this Episode: John Freeman - my husband The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology In Its Proper Place by Andy Crouch The Monastery of the Heart: An Invitation to a Meaningful Life by Joan Chittister Instagram: @emilypfreeman Get the monthly letter here: emilypfreeman.com/letter Find a complete transcript for this episode right here.

In January it's tempting to search the horizon for what might be next and open ourselves up to new opportunities. But decision fatigue can set in when every opportunity that comes our way seems to have potential. How can we choose which opportunities to take and which ones to pass up? That's today's episode. Links + Resources From This Episode: Myquillyn Smith, The Nester Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book about a (Really) Big Problem by Kevin DeYoung Receive Book Recommendations in the Monthly Letter Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Visit The Next Right Thing Podcast show notes to download a transcript of this episode