The Next Right Thing summary

We live in a technological time in which we are constantly being distracted by notifications, messages and updates. It should come as no surprise, then, that our decision-making abilities are impaired when our phones buzz every five minutes.

Consequently, if you want to find your next right thing, you need to create space for yourself from distractions – you need to become a soul minimalist.

Though decision-making, like learning the piano, takes practice, we usually don’t get time to rehearse. That can make unmade decisions feel like being handed a final exam on the first day of school.

Luckily, we don’t have to go through the exam alone. Whether we feel him or not, God is with us every step of the way. But since God’s plan for us is more complex than we could possibly imagine, we might be better off trying to look for arrows rather than yearning for explicit answers.

The Bible has a lot to say about helping others. But what about your own desires?

As Ruth Haley Barton notes in her book Sacred Rhythms, Jesus frequently called upon his followers to express their desires as a tool to help them find clarity on their spiritual paths. You might find it useful to do the same.

The times when we need to make an important decision are often the times when we seek the most advice. Many of us turn to experts or our friends, hanging on to any suggestion that might help us make the right decision.

Of course, there are times when mentors and teachers can help guide us through our lives. But if we don’t have a vision for what we want ourselves, we can get overwhelmed by trying to follow the advice of others.

If you’re deciding how to take care of your aging parents, or considering a different career path, you may fear what people will say about your choices. So when it comes to doing the next right thing, you might be wondering how to deal with negativity and criticism.

During a trip to Chicago, Freeman and her friend Shannan had a particularly talkative Uber driver, who was happy to share a range of anecdotes about various passengers. But when it came to recounting the story of one particularly nasty passenger, the driver suddenly stopped herself, saying she wasn’t going to waste her energy relaying this passenger’s negative criticisms of her.

You may have arrived at these blinks with the intention of finding clarity in your decision-making. If any of the practices outlined so far have nudged you in the right direction, then great. But in general, it’s useful to keep in mind some advice from lifestyle expert Marie Forleo: clarity cannot be rushed.

When Freeman and her husband bought their family home, the house needed major renovations. But despite the pink-painted master bedroom and gaudy mirrors, the author could imagine how it was eventually going to look. She could even picture her children’s toys strewn across the floor.