Honor Your Impulse

When the impulse arises to do something, do you seize the moment and act on it? Or do you let it pass like a cloud moving in the sky likely not to return again? 

I've been thinking a lot lately about this concept. How often do you do things on a whim without much reason behind it? An idea arises, your brain says, "Oh, let's do that!" and without much thought or reason, you take a chance and just go with it. When you take the chance and go with it, it can be exhilarating and feel wild and freeing in the moment.

During my Wildhearted Retreat, I participated in a Sweat Lodge (purification) Ceremony. 6 of us piled into a tiny sauna heated by burning coals. We shared sacred songs, thoughts, and cleansed our mind and body of what no longer served us. As you can imagine, it got pretty intensely heated. When we finished the final ceremony, we ran down to the lake to cool off. I had the impulse to take off my swimsuit and jump into the cool lake with my unclothed body. The impulse arose and I acted on it (as did the others in my group). It was liberating. 

Had I allowed any hesitation or reason to settle in (if even for a second), I likely would not have acted. Yes, it still would have been fun to jump in the lake, but maybe not as invigorating. 

When I received the news that Tom Petty died, I was devastated. I've been listening to Tom Petty for was long as I can remember. I still remember when my sister bought Wildflowers. We would listen to that album on repeat while my dad would play along with his guitar. Seeing Tom Petty in concert had always been a bucket list of mine. And when I heard he was coming to Dallas, I didn't act. I saw tickets were on sale, and rather than acting on impulse and buying tickets, I started the whole, "Oh, I may not be in town. That's too far away to make plans." And that was it. He came to Dallas, and whether I was here or not, I missed seeing him. So when the news broke that he had died, I was immediately filled with regret. 

I'm not suggesting that you should always act on impulse, but I do believe that impulse and instinct often go together. So when a light bulb moment happens, and it feels right, trust your instinct and go with it. This can be as simple as buying tickets to a concert or show, booking a plane ticket for a last minute trip, or taking the leap into a cool lake. 

When is the last time you acted on impulse?