The Next Right Thing

Whenever I feel overwhelmed, my mind wants to solve everything at once.

Every problem.

Every decision.

Every uncertainty.

All of it.

I've noticed that this usually makes things worse.

What helps is something much smaller.

A phrase I've carried for years:

Do the next right thing.

Not the perfect thing.

Not the entire plan.

Just the next thing.

Sometimes that looks like taking a shower.

Getting dressed.

Drinking a glass of water.

Texting a friend.

Stepping outside.

Nothing dramatic.

Just one small step forward.

What I often forget in those moments is that feelings move.

The state I'm in right now is not the state I'll be in forever.

A difficult afternoon can become a peaceful evening.

An overwhelming morning can become a manageable day.

I've learned not to trust the feeling that I need to figure everything out immediately.

Most of the time, I only need to figure out the next step.

Then the next one after that.

And then another.

Looking back, many of the hardest seasons of my life were navigated that way.

Not through grand plans.

Through the next right thing.