The art of being spontaneous

What is Spontaneity? According to the Cambridge dictionary, Spontaneity is – “a way of behaving in which you do what feels natural and good whenever you want to, rather than planning things first”. That sounds about right, but it can be easier said than done depending on your personality type. Some of us only thrive in structure and static routines, while others cannot stand routines and are quite good at improvising every day. The art of being spontaneous doesn’t have to be complicated and it’s not. It is simply the practice of not wanting to have structure at every moment of the day. Even mother nature embodies a state of spontaneity because nature follows a creative process and she improvises along the way in the grand scheme of things, as all things are in a constant state of flux and change. And being spontaneous doesn’t mean you are welcoming the chaos, rather you are learning to adapt and flow gracefully from an intuitive place rather than overthinking about the situation. My personal method of channeling my spontaneous side is by channeling my inner child and navigating toward the situation with a sense of curiosity and excitement. Another key component that allows me easily to flow into spontaneity is connecting to my instincts, doing what comes naturally, sometimes that could mean an improvised response that is connected to my joy or curiosity.

Structure gives us direction, almost a mechanical direction, but the scary thing about spontaneity is it requires one to flow without structure. The guiding light in this instance is to flow with your instincts and be ok with it not being the perfect response at first. The benefits of following your curiosity or joy whilst improvising allow you to trust your feelings and flow with the situation. For instance, I don’t always plan my Sundays, I turn on some music, feel for what I am inspired to do, and try to tune in with my inner child. Sometimes I get inspired to go for a run or work on writing more articles, or simply step outside the house without a plan and make the next decision based on my momentary needs. Spontaneity may come easier to some than others, but it is an innate ability everybody possesses. It can be made less intimidating with more practice. If the year 2022 was not the most spontaneous year for you, there is still time to apply this mindset toward the year 2023. In Wei Wu Wei’s words – “Spontaneity is being present in the present.”

Author Neelofar Hilal is a passionate freelance writer, avid traveler, podcaster, futurist, dreamer, and social science enthusiast