If a friend called you right now to go out for drinks, would you jump at the chance, or would you have to decline and tell her she’ll have to schedule happy hour with you at least a week in advance? Life may be hectic at times, but that’s exactly why it’s important to be able to go with the flow, change your plans at the last minute and be up for the unexpected. If life seems a little too boring, maybe you need to learn how to be spontaneous.
- Not everything needs to be meticulously planned. There are plenty of things in life that you have to plan, and you probably stick to a schedule or routine the majority of the time out of necessity. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t go off script every once in awhile, does it? If you usually plan everything to the second, start small — eventually, you’ll be waking up in the morning and looking forward to the unexpected.
- When the mood strikes, you should take advantage. It’s probably not every day you’re going to be in the exact mood you need to be in to have a great time at happy hour with your co-workers. So what if it wasn’t planned a week in advance? There’s no guarantee you’re going to want to have four margaritas next Thursday either, so you might as well go today when you’re in the mood.
- What’s the worst that could happen? Just because you don’t know exactly what to expect doesn’t mean it’s going to be a complete disaster. Besides, even with the perfect plan, crap happens. Just ask anyone who has ever planned a wedding.
- You can’t control everything. As hard as you try to plan everything perfectly, you still can’t control what other people do or freak accidents that may occur — and that’s just life. There’s no point in beating yourself up about it, so you might as well embrace all the possibilities and maybe even learn to look forward to life’s little surprises.
- Other people will want to be around you more. Not that your friends and family don’t love you for who you are (even those control freak tendencies), but if you’re the type of person who goes with the flow, people will be more relaxed around you. Not to mention, that friend who is up for anything is always the most fun.
- Something amazing could happen. Take that last minute long weekend road trip and you could meet an awesome guy you never would have met otherwise. Go out with a friend from out of town and she might have a connection that could help you with a job opportunity. Buy a scratch ticket and you could win the jackpot! The possibilities are endless.
- It makes life more interesting. Do you really want to have the next 50 years of your life planned out? Even if that sounds good to you, there’s bad news — it’s not going to turn out the way you think it is. Might as well embrace uncertainty, because it’s the only thing that’s guaranteed.
- There are no expectations. If you have no expectations of something, there’s no way you can be disappointed. Instead of planning something weeks in advance, just do it on a whim. Then you have less invested and you’ll appreciate it for what it is, not how much work you put into it.
- It will take some of the pressure off. Without the expectations, there’s a lot less pressure for something to turn out a certain way. When you’re spontaneous, you don’t have a chance to weigh the pros and cons, but sometimes that can be a really good thing.
- Unexpected doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Haven’t you ever received a gift you had no idea was coming? Wasn’t it awesome? Being spontaneous is like surprising yourself with a new experience. Sure, sometimes it won’t work out perfectly, but that’s okay too. At least you’ll have a good story.
