Spontaneity...living life a little less scripted.

I’m becoming more spontaneous as I get older.  Over-planning, schedules, routines, meetings - they're not as important to me as they used to be.  

Last week Tuesday I discovered I had a gap to go to TBEX Asia, in Bangkok, happening the very next week. In 2 hours I’d booked flights, accommodation, tours and voila, here I sit typing from Akha Ama coffee shop in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand. 

I've figured out that spontaneity is my antidote against monotony. Spontaneity of course means different things to different people, but for me, a working woman with a dynamic career as a theatre publicist, it’s been the game changer. 

My company, DIVA PR, recently turned ten. A decade of doing any job could end up being mundane right, but I’ve found a formula: I work on the move, at stylish places that serve an excellent cappuccino and a delish menu, because life is too short for bad decor, bleh coffee and mediocre food. Well designed spaces tend to attract interesting creatives and it's an opportunity to connect with others. New faces and a change of scenery is refreshing and invigorating. I'm all about chasing down inspiration.

This nomadic meandering happens in my ‘hood at home in Cape Town and further afield, anywhere on the planet. Have gadgets and 3G, and it becomes almost impossible to miss a trick..focus kicks in…you get things done faster, with satisfaction, because you’re mixing it up a little and enjoying it way more. Discipline and liberty, a winning combination.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done my time. I've spent the better part of 9 years in my orthopaedic office chair, firing up my pc as soon as the boys had been dropped at school, hammering away at campaigns until their pick-up time, and then working afterwards, often late at night and into the wee hours. There's a season for everything for sure, but now, I refuse to do any of that. 

Everything changed after I hit my mid century last year. Friends already in the Kingdom of the Last Half warned me about it, about 'the shift' that would occur. Well, true story because suddenly I found that I resented being burdened by truly unimportant things and sweating the small stuff, and I started to find my way around tension by giving excessive routine and anxiety a slap in the face. I've become more flexible now, I have way more fun, at work and play, than ever before and being open to newness and opportunity has been rejuvenating. It's working for me. 

"The essence of spontaneity is pleasure" ~ Germaine Greer. 

Try it! Carpe Diem.