The importance of being spontaneous

Column By Addy Hankins

@addy_hankins

Have you ever thought about your day-to-day life? Like the things that you just do mindlessly every day. You get out of bed, get ready for the day, go to school, go to work, and then go to bed and wake up to repeat the same day again. It’s like a broken record that keeps playing the same song and eventually that song gets old, and you need to play a new one to keep things interesting. This is the same when it comes to life.

Often, we can get so caught up in sticking to our routine schedules that we don’t even consider switching things up and trying something new. I had this moment the other day when my friend invited me to come on a trip with her to Florida in a couple of weeks and I immediately said no. I said no because it was something that I wasn’t prepared to do months in advance, and it felt like it was a last-minute thing. It wasn’t something that was typically in my everyday schedule and it kind of made me nervous because it’s new.

I ended up talking to my mom and she encouraged me to go on the trip with my friend. She told me that life was way too short to say no to these kinds of opportunities and that I might not get the chance to do this again.

After talking with my mom, I changed my mind on saying no to the trip with my friend and I told her that I did want to come with her. Talking with my mom also got me thinking about my normal routine and how it feels very comfortable and safe which is why I probably said no to my friend’s offer at first. I also feel like a lot of people get comfortable with their everyday routines and they don’t allow themselves to change it because of that.

While feeling comfortable in a routine can be nice, it’s also important to switch things up and to allow yourself to experience new and different opportunities. It’s essential to try different things and to not be afraid of change because it allows you to grow as a person. If you never allow yourself to try different things, you’ll never get the chance to see what is out there in the world and to discover new things about yourself.

Overall, if you’re ever offered a new opportunity that may even scare you a bit, then do it. Whether it’s a new job offer, internship, or even a trip to Florida, take the chance to try something different because it keeps life interesting and allows you to grow as a person even further.