Being Spontaneous
“All growth is a leap in the dark, a spontaneous, unpremeditated act without benefit of experience.” Henry Miller
When I wrote this short post I was 35,000 feet up in the air, en route to my new home in South Korea. Just like a swift smack to the face, it hits me, the realization of how good it feels to follow your heart. I love exploring new lands, but in the midst of great global uncertainty, many of my friends and family think I am a little crazy for moving to another country.
More and more because of the path I have chosen to walk, I consequently feel like a kid again, a kid full of wonder, the only difference is that I have a deeper understanding of myself and the world.
Living in the moment
What makes me feel like a kid again? The answer is spontaneity. Being spontaneous means acting in the present, and being responsible for my actions no matter what they may bring. What does living in this space feel like? The short answer is less thinking and more feeling. I get in tune with my total being and learn to proceed by feeling things out and not letting my mind corrupt what I am feeling or becoming lost in my emotions.
When you learn to let the different aspects of your being function independently and not allow them to mix into one another, great energy and awareness are released in you. The awareness that allows you to go beyond your conditioning, so what may look like irrational, crazy, or amazing behavior to others, feels perfectly right and normal for you. People ask aren’t you afraid, or mention that they wish they could do the same thing, but their conditioning keeps them a slave to their limiting ideas.
Of course, I am afraid, that moving to a place where I can’t speak the language, and don’t know anything about living there is a very scary endeavor. But I choose not to run away from my fears, I try to witness them and look them in the face without judging or distorting them because to run away or change them only serves to increase them.
I would rather suffer from my fears than be a slave to fixed ideas, to be tied down to the known and comfortable. I strive to live in the new and unknown where anything can happen because that’s where I feel truly alive.
Guess what happens when you keep pushing and striving to live a spontaneous life? It becomes easier, the more you act spontaneously the more your fears will begin to fade, you develop trust in your being, you feel whole, and your conditioning begins to lose its grip on you. You are then also able to see very clearly how much others are bound to their fixed limiting ideas.
Logically everyone would like to be told how to live spontaneously, but being spontaneous means being free of structure, so obviously there isn’t a system or “how to” book on it.
Just “be” spontaneous, put your fears to the side, and suspend your beliefs. It will be very challenging at first but by and by you will come to develop a knack and feel for being spontaneous. Everything you do will have a fresh quality to it. How you speak, how you walk, how you think, and how you act will have a certain freshness to it.
You just have to realize that anything can create fear. Anything that you have become attached to will create fear. But to let your fears dominate you is to not live your life; your fears will cripple you. So I encourage you to make the leap into the unknown, and be spontaneous, magical things await.
If you enjoyed this post check out:
- How To Increase Your Awareness and Expand Your Consciousness
- Discovering Your Life’s Purpose and Exploring Your Divine Nature
- How To Make The Leap Into The Unknown
- How To Enjoy and Grow By Being With Yourself
- How To Be Quiet and Stop Thinking
- How To Develop Your 6th Sense: Intuition
- Understanding Your Relationships To Find Your Path To Freedom
- Stuck In The Middle: Living In The Land of Observation
Great article. I truly admire the courage that you have to live in such a care-free way. I’ve always been a very cautious person, but I’m striving everyday to take a bit more risk in the name of fun and ultimate living.
.-= Nea | Self Improvement Saga´s last blog ..5 Steps to Easily Influencing People Without Manipulation =-.
thank you very much 🙂 and glad to hear your making the jump into the unknown…hope all is well and good luck on the journey…. @Nea | Self Improvement Saga:
.-= Ivan Campuzano´s last blog ..I Feel Good: The Art of Living Spontaneously =-.
How essential! Spontaneity is the way to face fear, and fear is the killer of dreams. You’ve nailed this one on the head; I know that this is part of my journey, to bring presence and spontaneity into life. Excellent post.
I think spontaneity is incredibly reliant on bringing oneself into the present moment as often as possible. Score +1 for meditation.
.-= Josh´s last blog ..Heart Attack Breaks =-.
thank you josh 🙂 I appreciate you taking the time to read it and give your perspective…hope all is well…take care 🙂 @Josh:
Beautiful words of wisdom. Your article brought back lots of memories. Just like you, I decided to move away from my home. I knew the language a bit which made it easier, yet nothing could prepare me for the challenges of being 9000 miles away from everything I knew till then. It was one heck of a ride with its ups and downs but so far I enjoyed every single bit of it and would not change the experience for nothing.
Thank you for sharing 🙂 you def. know what I am talking about 🙂 hope all is well 🙂 @Gabi:
Interesting. I actually woke up today thinking about living spontaneously and taking action. I seem to always come up with excuses as if when I come the world will be totally different and all my clients will have forgotten about me and moved on. Most likely not true but the mind can paint a scary vivid picture.
But your article proves the law of attraction at it’s best in my life.
thank you 🙂 @Jahanzeb Khan:
I really enjoyed reading this article. I am a fellow diver-iner. I like adventure, challenge, newness. Your article reminds me of the personality type psychology I’ve been looking into of late. I’d guess if you took the Myer’s-Briggs test you’d find some of these are you: extrovert, intuitive, feeling and perceiving.
If this is true, I would venture a guess that the adventure would scare anyone of the introvert, judging, thinking types. I know that bill paying and office admin work scares the hell out of me, but invite me to go ziplining in Costa Rica tomorrow and I’m your gal! It’s in who you are intrinsically.
.-= margot ´s last blog ..I make stuff =-.
thank you so much for stopping by and contributing 🙂 I am also a zip lining through the costa rican cloud forest type of guy 🙂@margot:
Ivan,
Living spontaneously is the best choice i have ever made in my life. I quitted the “Corporate Boredom” , and followed my passions. I don’t look back…I’ve met so many extraordinary people, encountered countless opportunities and life surprises me each day with amazing coincidences…
Thanks for your post, I can only agree.
thank you so much for sharing 🙂 @Stephane:
.-= Ivan´s last blog ..I Feel Good: The Art of Living Spontaneously =-.
the art of spontaneity is at it’s heart the act of trust, trusting that there is a oneness to all things. It will work out in that there is a divine order, and we are part of it/Him, if we stay in tune with it through prayer.
Yes! I love being spontaneous, though the effort to put yourself into that mindset is totally worth it. One of my favourite things to do is to simply say yes. For example if your mate asks you to go to a film you don’t care about, or a bar you ‘hate’, just do it. The best things tend to happen by accident, so put yourself in a position where accidents can happen.
God Speed to you, too. And don’t let yourself being stopped from learning korean just because 99% of koreans will understand english. 🙂
thank you :)…on well on my way to learning korean..thanks for the encouragement 🙂
Hi there great article, I need help with something. i did something which made someone whom i call a very close friend feel really. I did apoligise and he accepted but on condition that i make it up to him by doing something spontaneous. Please do you have any ideas
Thank u ..
i need it right now (the article) 🙂
and plz can u tell us more how to live more care-free and to be freed from or society beliefs …… ohhhhhhh they’re surrounding me in every move i make 🙁
but look i will try
heheheeeeeeeeeeee thank u again 😉
my pleasure :)…yes, learn to follow your heart…you won’t regret it 🙂
Just becouse of this spontaneity i didn’t get chance in Bangladesh Army though my individual peformences were up to mark.In group work’s i couldn’t able to show my spontaneity.Now i am trying to overcome this problem.Any suggetion for me ??