How to Act on Impulses

Most of us go through life playing by the rules, behaving according to what society dictates and never truly taking risks. Though this is certainly a valid way of living, imagine all the rich possibilities you miss by choosing not to act on your impulses. If you feel the siren's cry drawing you to take greater risks in your life, follow these steps to help you understand how to act on your impulses.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Listen to your quiet inner voice more often. Each day, we are confronted with choices which we must evaluate and respond to. Underneath our thoughts is a quiet inner voice urging us to act on our impulses in life. Train yourself to listen to that inner voice before going with what your social training has implanted in your mind to do.
2. Develop greater sensitivity to the opportunities risks create. Whether you are considering moving to another country, asking a woman out on a date or quitting your job abruptly, be sensitive to all the pleasures you could receive by acting on your impulse and all the possibilities you would lose by not doing so.
3. Remember what it was like to be a child. As children, we based our choices solely on impulse. What a liberating sensation it was to make decisions based solely on whether the choice would offer pleasure or pain in that instance. As an adult, sometimes it is truly freeing to allow ourselves to base a decision on our feelings instead of our rationality. Bear this in mind in your daily life.
4. Forget the outcomes. Give yourself over to the pure, rich pleasure of impulse and of not knowing how the choice will turn out. It is the not knowing that gives pleasure.
5. Create opportunities for risk in your life. If you close off your secret voice inside you, it is certain that you will lose touch with your true desires. Tennessee Williams once wrote that there are but two choices in life: death and desire. Once we stop desiring, we stop living. So, embrace desire and take risks.