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The funny thing is, I’ve been sitting here trying to come up with one answer.

I can’t.

Not because I haven’t done anything spontaneous. Because I’ve probably done too many spontaneous things to pick just one.

I’ve bought cars because I wanted them. Taken trips without overthinking them. Started businesses. Changed directions. Chased ideas. Made decisions that probably looked completely insane to the people around me.

A lot of my life has started with some version of:

“Fuck it. Let’s go.”

That’s just always been part of who I am.

I’ve never been very good at sitting around waiting for the perfect time.

Because here’s something I’ve learned after 47 years:

The perfect time usually doesn’t show up.

You can analyze something forever.

You can make spreadsheets.

You can ask ten people what they think.

You can wait until you have more money, more information, more experience, more confidence or fewer responsibilities.

And while you’re doing all of that, life keeps moving.

Sometimes you have to make the decision and figure the rest out on the way.

Has that mentality always worked out for me?

Hell no.

Some spontaneous decisions have cost me money.

Some have created headaches.

Some probably would have been better if I had slowed down and thought about them for another day.

But there’s another side to it.

Some of the best experiences of my life happened because I was willing to move.

I was willing to buy the ticket.

Buy the car.

Take the drive.

Start the business.

Try the idea.

Change the plan.

And see what happened.

I’d rather deal with the consequences of something I actually did than spend the rest of my life wondering what would have happened if I had done it.

There’s a difference, though, between being spontaneous and being reckless.

That’s something I understand better today than I did when I was younger.

At this point in my life, I’m actually trying to become more intentional.

I’m thinking more about where my time goes.

What I’m building.

What deserves my attention.

What makes money.

What creates freedom.

And what is simply noise.

I don’t want to lose years anymore because I was busy doing things that ultimately didn’t matter.

But I also never want to become so calculated that I lose the part of myself that’s willing to jump.

Because sometimes the opportunity isn’t going to come with a business plan.

Sometimes the road isn’t going to be completely mapped out.

Sometimes you just know.

And when you know, you move.

So what’s the most spontaneous thing I’ve ever done?

I still don’t know.

Maybe the better answer is that I’ve lived a pretty spontaneous life.

And at 47, the goal isn’t to stop.

The goal is to combine that willingness to move with the wisdom to know what’s worth moving toward.

Be intentional.

Build something.

Think bigger.

But every once in a while, when something feels right…

Fuck it. Let’s go.

— Nicholas Francis
NFAFinance.com