do the next right thing

Today I called a lady that offered me a job and I told her that I wouldn’t be able to accept it because I was offered another job that I really wanted. The “old me” would’ve just never called or showed up. Today I truly did the next right thing.

Today I have to clean the house because I promised my mother I would – she’s stressed out and coming home to a clean house will relax her and make her happy before her vacation, so my goal is to really deep clean and have it looking fabulous for when she comes home tonight.

Things I have to do:
+ Clean the kitchen countertops and floors
+ Clean the living room – wash the leather couches from the muddy dogs, dust the surfaces including the lamp shades, clean the glass tops on all of the coffee tables, fold the blankets, clean the floor
+ Clean the foyer – sweep, vacuum, and then clean the floor.
+ Clean the hallway to the garage, including the floors, pick up the boots and the organize the shoes.
+ Vacuum her room.
+ Clean the dining room floors, package the stuff on the table for the garage, clean the dining room table and wipe off the chairs.
+ Clean the mud room – fold the laundry, put it in her room

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I can do this! I’ll put on some fun music and work work work until 4.

Today I applied for a job even though it was embarrassing!

This was the next right thing to do because I need a new job, I need to be able to pay my car payment and not depend on my mother, and I need to save money for law school.

The Next Right Things for January 30th, 2009 – If everything goes as planned

+ Take my check to the bank, withdraw $350
+ Pay my bill at the D.S. (~150) – left w/ 200
+ Pay the Hollywood Video bill (20)- 180
+ Go the noon meeting
+ Do filing at work
+ Clean out my car
+ Go to the 5:30 meeting
+ Call LHS and pay my $50 bill for my medical records – I’ll pay that with my CC after the rest shows up in my account
+ Keep it Simple
+ Call my sponsor
+ Plan for the movie tomorrow
+ Plan for the shopping trip with my grandmother tomorrow
+ Clean my mom’s room

is “just do the next right thing.” I can use it for different contexts too (e.g. what’s the next right thing for work, for cleaning, for just lazing around) and it always keeps my mind on track. Sometimes I’m fortunate enough that the next right thing to do is something that I want to do, but usually I have to remind myself that this investment may not have immediately visible short-term rewards but that it pays massive dividends later. If I do the next right thing all day, every day, to the best of my abilities – I can go to bed feeling good or at least waking up the next morning proud of my behavior the day before. Maybe I won’t be ecstatic, or even happy, but at least I’ll be secure in the knowledge that I didn’t hustle solely for my own benefit, I didn’t self-promote, I didn’t conceal, I was honest, and I saw myself as part of a group rather than as an island to myself.