Hey there! Here’s one leadership idea and one resource I’ve found beneficial this week:
1 idea: The next right thing
In Frozen 2, Queen Elsa is forced to face the unknown. In the middle of the night, her people are forced out of their homes by powerful spiritual forces. To restore peace, she must venture into a dangerous enchanted forest. As she grapples with what to do next, her friend the troll king offers some sage advice: “When one can see no future, all one can do is the next right thing.”
Thus far in my career, I’ve not been called upon to protect anyone’s fjord from cataclysmic disaster. Even still, I’ve found this maxim to be so helpful. When one of my kids calls out for help in the middle of the night because they’ve had a nightmare, it’s easy for me to get frustrated that my sleep has been interrupted. In that moment, I’m torn between my expected reality (that I’d slumber for eight hours straight) and actual reality (that I need to get up and help my child). As long as I stay stuck in between those two worlds, I will be irritable, frustrated, or dismissive. But as soon as I pause and ask myself, “Ok…what’s the next right thing?” that tension melts away. By focusing on solving the problem right in front of me, I stop grieving my messed-up plans and start living in reality.
Doing the next right thing no only helps us become more flexible, it also can improve our mental health. A friend of mine battled anxiety during the pandemic. She would often spiral into worry after noticing one of her kids had a bruise or cough or rash. It only took a few moments of rumination to jump to worst-case explanations for those symptoms, and the weight of anxiety she’d feel would be crushing.
But stopping to determine the next right thing helped stop that spiral. Usually that meant emailing a question to her pediatrician instead of conducting a Google search. Once she had an answer from the doctor, she’d do the next right thing: pick up a medication, bring them in for a visit, or relax knowing that everything was fine. Instead of living in this scary potential future, she’d focus on the here and now. That decision not only made her more productive, it also brought her more peace.
Whether you’re looking to become more adaptable or more peaceful, focusing on the next right thing can be hugely helpful.
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What unmet expectations are you having a hard time letting go of?
What future are you concerned about?
What’s the next right thing for you to do?
1 resource: Finding a better headspace
When I was first working on becoming more present in the moment, I really benefited from an app called Headspace. It offers guided breathing and reflection exercises to help you de-stress and be more peaceful. It was my first dabbling with meditation, and I continue to use some of the principles today.
If you’re interested in checking it out, you can get a free 30-day trial here.
Bonus: For a Christian take on a meditation app, check out Lectio 365 for guided devotions and peaceful reflection. It's also free!
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