What are the benefits of being spontaneous?

The photograph above is one I took spontaneously this morning, simply because I enjoyed the bright blue winter sky as a backdrop to the church spire at All Saints Church in Birchington. 

There is going to be a change of management at one of my local pubs The Powell Arms. The brothers are moving on. Last night was their last evening at the pub, so those of us from the band decided to go and and have a drink with them. Andy and Phil have been very good to us having booked us on a few occasions and promoted us. Right at the last minute, we decided that we would set up and play some music as a bit of a send off for them. This was in no way an official gig, just a bit of a jam night for any musicians who wanted to come along. It was one of the best nights I have had out playing music.

By doing what we did spontaneously made the evening far more enjoyable. I believe the reasons for this are as follows: -

• We had no expectation of what would happen.
• There was no pressure to perform.
• The fact there was very little pre-planning allowed space for creativity.
• We did it for free. So it was a genuine gift, thereby allowing space for motivation as well as a thank you for the support we have had from the pub. 

Have you ever had a better experience of something when it is done spontaneously? 
We have all had times of planning a party or event. Lots of energy goes into it with lofty expectations of having a good time. Frequently, it turns out to be not as good as we hoped. 


Whenever a Christmas time meal comes around, I usually prefer not to go due to the restrictions of pre planning the venue, time limits, booking what you want to eat, dressing up.... Personally, I prefer to just go for a casual drink and see what happens on the night itself. Maybe going to a different venue and finishing the night off at a time when everybody is ready. 


Spontaneity is creative.
It provides unexpected and surprising results.
It allows for freedom of choice.
It brings new life experiences. 


Try doing something spontaneous today. 

• Contact somebody you have not seen for a long while.

• Send a friend a random text message to let them know you are thinking of them.
• Go for a walk without pre-planning where you are going to go.
• Book a last minute holiday or short break.
• Make polite conversation with someone in a queue at the shops.
• Tell someone you care about that you love them.
• Think about something healthy that you would like to do and do it immediately.

All of the above, you have the right to choose to do. Whatever it is that you do, simply trust in your intuition. I believe we all have it. It's getting in touch with and trusting it that takes practice. 


Here's wishing you all a blessed Sunday.


Marty


P.S. "Hey Jude" is a cover we do at gigs. It's amazing how everyone spontaneously joins in. 

Empowered choices lead to significant decisions

Following on from my articles on "Self Healing - achieving goals with a purpose" , "The One Ring - a life lesson" and "Faulty all or nothing thinking"; I have felt inspired to expand on this subject.

In the "All or nothing thinking" article, I described the process of substituting the words "should" or "must" with the word "choose". After a discussion with a friend today, I realise that there is a further important stage to this. Bear with me as I delve into the magical world of metaphor!

With all choices we have a menu. This word is most commonly used when eating out at a restaurant. The word is French in origin and could loosely be described as a list. So we look at the the menu and consider what we may want to eat. I don't know about you, but sometimes I find it hard to make up my mind. The longer it takes, the later I will get my food. I'll experience the discomfort of hunger and others in the dinner party will become frustrated and impatient, not to mention the waiting staff and the chef! So I need to choose and make a firm decision. Making the decision effectively seals the contract. If I've made a decision I later regret, I'll have the opportunity to choose something different the next time I go out to eat. 

We can apply this to all aspects of our life. The decision is to take ACTION. If we do not take ACTION, nothing will happen. In the restaurant example, we will simply go hungry.  In life we can choose what is on the menu at any given time. If the menu is short, then the decision is easier to make. We have less options. We can however only choose what is on the menu. 


When you choose something, do you just stop there and wonder why nothing happens?
To break out of this trap, you can sign and seal the contract with yourself by taking action on the firm decision you have made. 


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My motivation behind writing these blogs followed a training course I attended last year called "Choices". Doing it inspired me with energy to get back to writing again with a new focus. I gave thanks to John Cordingly for his encouragement when delivering the training course.

This, I just HAVE to add for its humour and relevance to choices