Do the next right thing
During my kids growing up years, and even today as they work their way through their twenties, we often discuss what’s the right thing to do in any given situation. And of course, it’s even made its way up on the fridge as “Do the next right thing.”
The truth is, they, and I, don’t always do the right things. We are human. We make bad choices. Act in anger. Say the wrong things. Hurt people’s feelings. Waste money. Drink too much. Get in bad relationships. Misread situations. Yep, done them all. What about you?
I’ve invested money poorly. Yelled at my kids. Made bad hires. Worried incessantly. Thrown out important paperwork. What are some of your poor decisions or mistakes? And what did you do next?
We can either beat ourselves up about it, make excuses, blame others, say “sorry, but” or hide. Yep, done them all. Or we can get back on track by doing the next right thing.
Ten years ago my marriage of 20 plus years came crashing down. I was overwhelmed and living moment to moment, juggling the demands of being a single mother to three kids not yet in high school and running my businesses and my household. So many decisions to be made, kids to run to basketball, dance and swimming, pets to take to the vet, lawns to mow, bills to pay, laundry to do, stories to write, ads to sell, people to pay, and on and on and on. That’s when I really began to realize the value of doing the next right thing, to keep moving forward, to stop making excuses and to figure out the next right thing to do.
I’m not sure where I picked up the “Do the next right thing” philosophy. When I googled the phrase this morning, I surely realized it wasn’t original to me. The search brought up over eight-hundred million results! With that much similar thinking, I think it’s safe to stay hooked on the bandwagon, “Do the next right thing.”
Suzanne Detar’s book -- Don’t Lose the Ball in the Lights and Other Life Lessons from Sports -- is available for purchase at Island Expressions, 126 Seven Farms Dr., and online in print and as an ePub at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play and iBooks. Learn more at www.SuzanneDetar.com.