Be I-M-P-U-L-S-I-V-E

Learn to channel my impulsive side this year! I read a great article from Hello Giggles and picked up a few pointers to try and folow this year.

Right now, I’m trying to get better at accepting last minute plans and being spontaneous. When I try to be impulsive, I like to keep these tips in mind:

1. Follow the lead of someone else. I almost got arrested at a Backstreet Boys concert in September because I decided to copy a frat boy and hop onto the bed of a city-owned truck to get a better view. That may sound like a terrible experience, but it was awesome. I never get in trouble, and it was so exciting to actually take a risk. I don’t recommend doing exactly what I did. You should try to follow the lead of someone who makes better decisions. But I’m still proud of myself because I did something without weighing the pros and cons first. I wouldn’t have made that decision by myself, so I’m glad I was able to play follow the leader.
2. There’s nothing wrong with guilt. Most of the time when I say yes to last minute plans, it’s because someone guilted me into them. Whether they persuaded me to go to their New Year’s party by saying I was one of their best friends or they got me to join them at the beach with a pleading text message, my friends have figured out how to guilt me into saying yes. It almost always works. There’s nothing fun about letting down your friends, so don’t be afraid to let guilt be a deciding factor on whether or not you’ll do something.
3. If I say no, what will I miss out on? I hate being left out. If I think I’ll miss something exciting or important, I will say yes to any plans, no matter how last minute they are. Inside jokes are constantly being formed, and I never want to be on the outside. This is probably the best way to get me to do something. I don’t want to miss out on anything.
4. Do I have anything better to do? It’s not like I have an active social life to begin with. If I say no to everything, I’ll eventually become a hermit, which isn’t ideal. You can’t avoid all plans forever, so say yes occasionally. If you always so no, people will stop asking. Can last minute plans be scary? Yes, but being trapped inside forever with no plans is even scarier.