The Next Right Thing - with Emily P. Freeman

Latest Episodes:

113: Decide to Decide Feb 04, 2020

Show notes

As I pay attention to my own life and the life of people around me, I've come to the conclusion that we can trace a lot of our anxiety, stress, and feelings of overwhelm back to a single or a series of unmade decisions. It's not always because we are putting those decisions off. Sometimes It's because we don't even realize we're carrying them.

Today's episode is a simple practice in uncovering decisions that need to be made and doing the next right thing to make them. Listen in.

Links + Resources From This Episode:

Grab a copy of my book, The Next Right Thing
What Now? by Ann Patchett
Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman
Download Transcript

112: Two Words to Avoid Jan 28, 2020

Show notes

A lot of what we talk about here isn't necessarily about the specific decision you're holding like which job to say yes to or whether or not you ought to marry that person. Instead, we talk a lot about mindset, posture, and cultivating a listening way of life so that when tough decisions come our way, we're better equipped to move through them.

Today I'll share two words we can eliminate from our vocabulary, especially when we're talking about our roles, our work, or the roles and work of others. Listen in.

Links + Resources From This Episode:

A Million Little Ways
The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
Grab a copy of my book, The Next Right Thing
Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman
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111: Never Believe Anything Bad About God Jan 21, 2020

Show notes

We all want to make our choices with wisdom, courage, and discernment. Today we come back home to one of the most foundational truths I hold on to when making decisions. On the surface it may not sound like it has to do with decision making at all. But these six words from Dallas Willard have changed the way I make decisions.

Links + Resources From This Episode:

You can find all of Dallas Willard's books here
Psalm 23
My book, The Next Right Thing
Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman
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110: Build for the Years You Can't See Jan 14, 2020

Show notes

Since adults make over 35,000 decisions every single day, it's no wonder that this idea of doing the next right thing feels like such a relief. But there are also times when doing the next right thing doesn't seem like enough.

Maybe you've been practicing this simple discipline for a while now and still, it's not leading to where you thought it would lead or bringing results you hoped to see by now.

If you can relate, listen in.

Links + Resources From This Episode:

Hope*Writers is accepting new members through Friday, January 17th
Start here if you want to take the Hope*Writers quiz
My book, The Next Right Thing
Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman
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109: Wait Until The Morning Jan 07, 2020

Show notes

Back in Episode 70 we talked about The Best Time to Make A Decision. Spoiler Alert: Being a good decision-maker has less to do with having a certain kind of magically decisive personality and more to do with timing.

In today's episode, I'll share one simple practice that has helped me this very week to make better decisions for my own life. Listen in.

Links + Resources From This Episode:

Bonus: For Anyone Longing for Home
Episode 108: Walk at Your Own Pace
Episode 70: The Best Time To Make a Decision
I share my morning routine in Episode 76: Create a Simple Morning Routine
Leeana Tankersley on decision making
Review The Next Right Thing on Apple Podcasts
The Next Right Thing book
Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman
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108: Walk at Your Own Pace Dec 31, 2019

Show notes

Because I talk a lot about reflection and intention regularly throughout the year, when December/January come around and everyone else talks about it too, I find myself leaning forward to hear what they have to say.

So here on the last day of the month, the last day of the year and the final day of the decade, I'm asking myself as I share these words with you: do I have anything to add? I've decided that I do. It's a simple observation that I hope will encourage you to walk at your own pace in freedom.

If you want a little no-shame companionship as you stand between the year you've just lived and the one you're entering into, listen in.

Links + Resources From This Episode:

Discern + Decide, my online self-paced course
Sign up to receive my monthly letters
The Next Right Thing by me
Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman
Download Transcript

BONUS: For Anyone Waiting for Home Dec 24, 2019

Show notes

Today's episode is a bit different than our usual format so I'm offering a brief introduction to welcome you to it and give a bit of background.

Every year my church here in Greensboro creates one of my favorite offerings called Lessons and Carols. It's a service of music, both original compositions and familiar favorites, as well as a collection of readings from scripture that tell the story of Jesus, this year it was told through the lens of home, both the one we have here and the one we continue to long for.

Advent is a season of waiting and this night of lessons and carols is a time to remember how God's people waited many years for the Messiah, how he chose to make his home among us, and how we wait still for him to come again.

This year, my friend and pastor Michael Van Patter asked if I would be willing to write a short piece to end the night, a reflection to close our time together. It was an honor, as a writer, to hold space for this idea of home, to listen for the ways my own longing mixes with my current reality and how joy and sorrow coexist for all of us. That can be especially true at Christmas.

I wish I had the rights to broadcast the entire night right here on the podcast so you could hear how the creative image of God is so beautifully reflected in the music of some of my dearest friends at Hope Chapel. That would be my first choice.

Instead, I'll settle for my second choice which is to simply share with you that piece I wrote to close Lessons and Carols service.

Whether you're surrounded today by friends and family who know you well or if you find yourself in an unknown place this Christmas, I hope these words will bring a bit of comfort and clarity as you continue to honor the tension you may feel between being where you are and longing for a home you miss.

And Merry Christmas to you.

Links + Resources From This Episode:

107: 8 Books for Soulful Decisions Dec 17, 2019

Show notes

Today I'm sharing some trusted books I've turned to multiple times over the years. If you've been listening for any amount of time, these recommendations probably won't surprise you. But it seemed fitting to have them all in one place and dedicate at least one episode to some of the books I've turned to over the years that have helped to shape my own decision making process, path, and posture. Listen in.

Links + Resources From This Episode:

Hearing God by Dallas Willard
Invitation to Retreat: The Gift and Necessity of Time Away with God by Ruth Haley Barton
Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker J. Palmer
You Learn by Living: 11 Keys For a More Fulfilling Life by Eleanor Roosevelt
The Listening Life by Adam S. McHugh
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
The Next Right Thing by me
Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman
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106: Let's Talk About Disney's Frozen 2! Dec 10, 2019

Show notes

Spoiler Alert! Today's episode will have spoilers about Disney's new animated film Frozen 2. Months before the movie released previews of some of the songs were made available and one of those songs was called The Next Right Thing.

As the host of The Next Right Thing podcast and the author of the book, many have wondered what I think about Disney publishing a song with the same title as my own work. Well today I'll share my response to that question and more; like what we can we learn from an animated princess about love and sorrow? And where did the songwriters find their inspiration for The Next Right Thing? Listen in.

Links + Resources From This Episode:

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
My book A Million Little Ways
LA Time's story on Frozen 2 and the song The Next Right Thing
The Quiet Collection for Christmas
Grab a copy of my book, The Next Right Thing
Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman
Download Transcript

105: How to Manage Holiday Decision Fatigue Dec 03, 2019

Show notes

Is there a way to enter this season thoughtfully with our whole hearts? How can we manage the holiday decision fatigue that seems inevitable? Is there a way to remain centered even in the midst of lots of activity? If you've had these questions too, listen in.

Plus: The Quiet Collection for Christmas is available starting today! Visit emilypfreeman.com/christmas to learn more.

Links + Resources From This Episode:

5 Books for Advent Reading
The Quiet Collection for Christmas
Episode 90: Start With This Simple Rhythm
To Bless the Space Between Us by John O'Donohue
Grab a copy of my book, The Next Right Thing
Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman
Download Transcript

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