Wednesday, October 28, 2009

The Next Right Thing


We are charged, in life, with the task of doing “the next right thing”. This implies that there is absolutely nothing that can be done to change the past. There is also nothing that we can do which will generate guaranteed outcomes in the future. It is vitally important to focus on the here and now. This is the time to assess our position, utilize the tools at hand, and move forward with meaningful action and good intentions.

Doing the right thing has three basic component parts:
  1. Don’t worry. All that will come of it is an increasing inability to do anything at all. Worry will certainly negatively impact your physical and emotional health.

  2. Don’t hurry. Hasty action will rarely achieve good results and might have dire consequences. Take some time, consider the impact of what is about to be done.

  3. Don’t hate. The one that is most impacted by hate is the one who is doing the hating. There is no reason to foster this feeling. Hating people, places, or situations only creates deep resentment. Resentment steals the spotlight and hinders the capacity to focus on anything but the negative.

We can be in charge of the present decisions that we are making. We can control our part in every response and reaction. We can do the next right thing.