All of us have experienced pain and challenges in life. Most of us have lost the attitude of “just go for it”. We’ve all learned the lesson of how to avoid pain and how not to take unnecessary risks. For some of us, our past experiences may have been too traumatic. As a result, we transformed from a flower ready to bloom into a shrinking flower unwilling to open our petals. However, taking risks does have its rewards. The trick is to be more in tune with yourself so you know when and what risks you can take. Sometimes, there is fun and satisfaction on the other side of fear.
Young people are admirable for their courage to take risks. They just go for it and do it. Although adults usually see their behavior as foolish; they are actually enjoying their experiences. They also recover quickly from any setbacks. Their actions may seem brash and irresponsible but older people envy them for being able to enjoy each moment of their life. When they want to do something; they just do it. We sometimes wish that we had their energy and enthusiasm for life. Most young people live by the motto: “You Only Live Once”, so do what you want to do. When we think of spontaneous adventures; we usually associate this experience with young people.
While we often describe young people as impulsive decision makers; they are actually more in tune with their self. They make spur-of-the-moment decisions based on their feelings at the moment even if it may make them seem fickle-minded. For most young people, the main reason for doing something is just for the fun of it. There may be negative consequences afterwards; but they had fun together while doing it. It also deepens their friendship.
Grown-ups can also do what they want to do, when they want to do it, with the people they like. In fact, we should be able to make better decisions on what risks to take because we have more life experience. In short, we are able to make informed and even planned risks. We can also be better prepared for the consequences if we fail.
We can’t go back to our teenage years but we can bring back our youthful enthusiasm for life and hone our risk-taking instincts. The first step is to practice taking small risks. With practice, we can be more confident in making major, risky life decisions when needed. Try being mindful about your own behavior and reactions. Just doing something different each day is a good start. The thrill of doing something for the first time, or after a long time, is always a good way to boost your enthusiasm.
Have the urge to appreciate some flowers? Just go for it. Stop and take time to smell the flowers. Take a moment to appreciate the smell of your morning coffee before diving into work. Is your commute getting boring? Maybe take a different route to go to work or back home and see how it makes you feel. A cute shirt caught your eye? Just go for it! Buy the shirt and observe the bounce in your step afterwards. Go on that sudden road trip you were invited to. Do you feel excited again? Say yes to the invite.
Making unusual decisions or risky decisions can feel scary and thrilling at the same time. You can call it gut instinct, intuition or a message from the Universe. The point is to follow the more pleasant feeling of excitement and thrill and see where it takes you. You might find even more wonderful experiences waiting for you on that different route to the office. This is also practicing how to be honest with yourself. It is an opportunity to choose what you really want instead of going with your usual reaction or behavior. While you are doing this experiment, it helps to do it with people you know and care about. They will be the first ones to notice if you have changed. They will also provide added guidance to ensure that you are not recklessly making your decisions.
Feature Image: Original Photo by Taylor Smith on Unsplash.