The Next Right Thing

I had the most fun in the mountains this weekend.

It was filled with laughter, good conversation, and the kind of joy that sneaks up on you when you least expect it. Sunday morning, I got up early and practiced yoga outside in the cool mountain air with a dear friend.

Honestly, I've been avoiding yoga for most of this year.

Which is odd because I've had a fairly steady practice for almost two decades. I know how important it is for a healthy mind and body.

Yes, in that order.

This morning, something inside me broke wide open.

I had a moment of complete clarity that felt healing in a way I don't quite have words for yet. It reminded me how much I miss this practice. It even got me excited about the possibility of a yoga retreat somewhere in my future.

And yes, it brought me to tears.

Which, I suppose, was the point.

As I gathered myself afterward, I remembered a simple phrase that helped me through countless challenges during my career.

Whenever things went sideways—and trust me, they sometimes did—I would tell myself, and anyone who would listen:

"Let's just do the next right thing. And after that, we'll do the next right thing."

Until we figure it out.

I've decided to borrow those words again.

When I find myself getting tangled up in things I can't control, I want to ask a different question:

What is the next right thing?

Not the next perfect thing.

Not the thing that solves everything.

Just the next right thing.

I think that's why the phrase works. It keeps your focus on what you can actually control. It shifts your attention away from the problem and toward your response. Away from the fear and toward the action.

How will I react?

How will I respond?

How will I move forward?

That's a far better place to live than stuck.

And stuck is not a place I choose to live.

Ever.

There is another image that comes to mind when I'm feeling stuck.

A lawn mower.

You know that feeling when a mower hasn't been started in a long time? You pull the cord once. Nothing. Twice. Nothing. You adjust something. Try again.

Still nothing.

Then you realize it's going to take one big, determined pull.

So you give it everything you've got.

And suddenly the engine roars to life.

Life can be like that.

Sometimes we get so tangled in our thoughts that we forget what it takes to restart our own engine.

We wait for motivation when what we really need is movement.

The effort to start is almost always the hardest part.

And almost always worth it.

So this Monday morning, start your engine.

Do the next right thing.

Then do it again.

Life is simply too short to stay stuck somewhere you don't love.

Believe with all your heart that you have the power to move forward. One step. One choice. One next right thing at a time.

XO