Welcome to the Next Right STEPS blog with useful articles to change your life one step at a time. Your goal for following this online journal should be nothing less than developing a more satisfying and effective lifestyle. The principles and techniques that will be featured in these articles have
“STEPS Stories” are true accounts of real people. Most stories are naturally encouraging and inspiring, but others can break your heart. I know they break mine.
Trials create fear, but they can lead to transformation and hope. Those painful experiences gave me a special connection with parents of teenagers who are struggling.
Across Alabama, and particularly in Birmingham’s underserved communities, there is a growing crisis among disadvantaged youth.
Terrell is a nice-looking 15-year-old with a glint in his eye and a quick wit. He comes across as sharp and interesting as he talks about his ideas and dreams. But that first impression is the tip of an iceberg that is much different beneath the surface.
What part of your life do you worry about? That brings sadness? Or makes you feel frustrated, lonely, or hopeless? Which of your numbing-to-escape habits makes life worse rather than better? What negative thoughts haunt you at night?
Is it okay to drink alcohol? Yes, it is okay. As long as you read the rest of this article and thoughtfully consider all it says.
Listen to the podcast version Watch a 1-minute summary video Many ideas commonly accepted in these modern times are wrong. And, too often, what people think “feels okay” in the moment can be wrong. And when we allow false thinking in our lives, we falter. Society encourages us to go
Sometimes the best way to be there for others and serve as an example is by being real about our own life even as we work to improve it. And by recognizing that to be the best mentor, friend, spouse, parent, or grandparent we can be, we need to be the best person we can be.
We all feel blue at times. Occasionally, we may be sad for quite a while, especially when everything around us seems to be going wrong. Being depressed is more than that.
Do you want to better relieve your stress? We live in stressful times, and the data proves what many of us feel every day.
The world–and our ego–urges us to take control of everything in our lives. Sometimes, though, the best thing is to let it go.
My son came home the other day and casually asked, “How are things going?” I thought a moment, and said, “You know, life can be good, even when some parts aren’t so good.”
Someday, I’ll be a grandfather. I’m really looking forward to that stage, but there’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot. Just what is a good (or great) grandparent supposed to do?
Sometimes the best way to be there for others and serve as an example is by being real about our own life even as we work to improve it. And by recognizing that to be the best mentor, friend, spouse, parent, or grandparent we can be, we need to be the best person we can be.
All parents want their children to be happy, healthy, and safe. But unfortunately, emotional problems happen in virtually every family.
I remember that nine-year-old Little League game like it was yesterday. My Dad sat in the stands near where I was playing third base.
Take a look at what STEPS has been doing in the first quarter of 2024.
We can improve our relationships if we focus more on others than on ourselves. The problem is, we often don’t want to.
We can improve our relationships if we focus more on others than on ourselves. The problem is, we often don’t want to.
Every day, you make dozens of choices that affect your relationships one way or the other. You won’t get them all right, but you can move in the right direction if you focus on those decisions one at a time. And if you keep making good choices, you build good habits along the way.
