I recently read the book “Smart Brevity“, which shares ways to make your communication more succinct and impactful, and I encourage you to give it a read (the book itself is quite succinct and impactful).
Beyond the tips on brevity, they shared a different story that really stood out to me. In a world that can be complicated and the “right” answers hard to find, they offered a simple solution. From the book:
Jim sat stewing in the pew of Christ the King Church in Alexandria, Virginia, while David Glade, the pastor, talked about the difficulties of being good. He told a story about how his kids wondered, with all the chaos and challenge of life, how a person can choose to do the right thing, always.
Pastor Glade wanted to shrink this big existential question into something more digestible. He offered to his kids nine words of wisdom that guided us through our departure—and shaped how we live our lives today: “All you can do is the next right thing.”
None of of can “do the right thing, always”, but we can always do “the next right thing”.
You may have made a poor decision with your work, your vote, your relationship, or something else, and that’s in the past. However, you always have a chance to do the next right thing. It seems like a good lens to view life through.
