Reflections on Spontaneity* AND 153/365

Last year, I chose "spontaneity" as my word for 2011. So, as 2011 comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on how it went. I wanted to be able to be more spontaneous, to go with the flow a bit more, to not reactively say "no" to requests and opportunities quite so often. In no means did I expect to completely turn around what is--in part--personality and temperament. But I wanted to ease up a little.

So how did I do?

...Well, I dunno...

I'm not entirely sure that I was really any more truly spontaneous than I generally am. I can think of a circumstance where I was completely spontaneous, and as I alluded to last year, it "surprise[d] the pants off people." I can also think of a circumstance--realistically, a much less ambitious circumstance--that was a spontaneity FAIL; it took everything I had just to pull it together enough to participate. And this is about the norm for me.

That being said, I DO think I was able to go with the flow a little bit more this year, if only because I spent more time thinking the opportunity through. I'm not sure it qualifies as spontaneous anymore when one thinks it through, but in my world, this is the most realistic step forward.

I mentioned last year that the factors of energy, cost, and time play a big role in determining whether or not I can just change gears in my day and go ahead into something new. Instead of immediately letting my brain try and convince me that I don't have any of those things available, I have forced it to stop and think. Is there still a chance for down time elsewhere? Or that doesn't have to cost as much as you think it does. Or, what has become a bit of a mantra for me this year, what else were you really going to be doing instead? (Cuz sometimes the answer is 'nothing')

I also think God blessed me with more opportunities to knock some of those factors of the list so I don't even need to think about them. I was spoiled with a two-week tropical vacation back in April at a significantly reduced personal cost. And when you're on vacation, really, what else were you going to be doing instead? The same is true of this summer. The respite I did this summer was in small bursts of full days rather than short shifts every day, meaning that I had entire stretches of nothing, nothing, nothing on the schedule. Once I embraced this change from what I had been expecting, I was able to enjoy doing whatever came up.

The cost factor is often still a tricky one to work around. I can glean down time or energy elsewhere sometimes. Not so easy with something as concrete as money. That being said, I have started utilizing sites like Groupon, DealFind, etc., which--every now and then--bring up deals on something I actually need or was intending to buy. I either save money, earn extra air miles, or get more service for the price I regularly pay. It hasn't opened up the budget a ton, but just enough.

One more thing I have been teaching myself to do is put the Type A away. If someone has said they will contact me by a certain time, wait. If my brain wants details for something two weeks ahead of time, but I don't actually need that specific detail two weeks ahead of time, wait. There does come a point when I will need information to proceed on something. But I don't necessarily need all the information up front. I think my brain is slowly getting the message.

So. A little bit forward overall?

And on to 2012.

*I would just like it to be known that I am an excellent speller--take pride in being an excellent speller, even--but s-p-o-n-t-a-n-e-i-t-y gets me every time!