Follow Your Impulses

The Merriam-Webster definition of the word “impulse” reads as follows: “a sudden strong desire to do something or a small amount of energy that moves from one area to another.” And I have just started this blog post using the very thing writing coaches warns you about, but hey sometimes you just have to define what you mean. This blog post could also be titled ”Say Yes To Life”, ”Carpe Diem” and “Grab Life By The Horn.” Many clichés, maybe even sounding a bit pretentious. But I have been thinking a lot about going with your hunches these days. Or I should say that I have done so in recent years. I remember while living in Sydney I decided to try to do one new thing, big or small, each day. Could be taking a tour out to the Blue Mountains or buying a new kind of sushi from a restaurant. I remember discussing this with a friend sitting on Bondi Beach one day. Yeah, totally namedropping here…This friend was at the time fairly new to Sydney too and he said the same thing. He also had the mindset of trying to do one new thing each day. I was an explorer in Sydney and I am trying to bring that mentality to my new place of living, Malmö. I need to seek out restaurants, parks and cool spots in the city. Just visiting coffee shops alone should keep me occupied for the next few years I reckon, because Swedes do love their coffee shops! The other day I tried the rowing machine at the gym. Now, one would think I would have tried it already as I have spent the majority of my free time since becoming an adult at various gyms and fitness clubs around the world. But no. The rowing machine and I have never been introduced. But in the spirit of trying new things I casually walked over to him (in my world apparently a rowing machine is a he), and said “hello, let’s see if we can be friends." I think that was the start of a beautiful friendship. And yes that is totally a reference to the wonderful movie Casablanca.

Some of the best trips I have ever taken have been following impulses/saying yes to life. My trip to Thailand this past fall to meet up with one of my best friends was one of those. Bought a ticket on Monday and flew there on Wednesday. My friend Mimi quickly introduced me to the street food in Bangkok and the ones of you that have been there knows you just have to go for it. No second guessing if the food is prepared to the utmost cleanliness. Over my time in Thailand I tried many dishes, one more wonderful than the other. Meat on a stick or fried tofu served with crushed peanuts and chili sauce served in a plastic bag anyone?

Some ideas can be bouncing around for days/weeks/months/years until I do something about them or they disappear. Maybe they are not so much “impulses” then. This blog is the fruit of an idea. Growing up I loved to write. One of my Swedish teachers was extremely encouraging and told me my writing was great and that I should pursue a career in a field that would allow me to utilize my talents. I was pretty set on becoming a journalist. However, as I advanced in school I got another Swedish teacher, one that was not so encouraging. My writing was too simple and straightforward according to the new teacher. I stopped writing and years went by. But then I decided to create this blog as a creative outlet for myself. Joss Whedon who is an American screenwriter, director, producer etc (he created “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) once said this about creativity: “Write it. Shoot it. Publish it. Crochet it, sauté it, whatever. MAKE,” Whedon’s point (and mine, but coming from him should have more weight to it, I mean he created “Buffy” for crying out loud) is that it’s good to DO SOMETHING. And now I am even treading on Nike’s turf: “Just Do It.” I was scared to publish this blog, but I decided to do it anyway. To be quite honest, I didn’t really fancy writing a blog. I did not quite see the purpose of blogs and I felt that everyone was writing one. However, several friends encouraged me to do it and I really appreciate this creative outlet and platform. I have a few bloggers and vloggers (video bloggers) in the area of health and traveling I like and follow. I have friends who write blogs and I do very much enjoy reading those. I also like that my blog gives me a chance to play around with photography. Not that I in any way, shape or form is the next Ellen von Unwerth, Peter Lindbergh or Mario Testino (hm, apparently all photographers that came to mind are in fashion, go figure) but I enjoy taking pictures to use on the blog or looking through my own library of older pictures and use one of those.

If you keep thinking “I really should write that friend and ask how he or she is doing” but can’t seem to find the time to sit down and draft a long letter, just send a short “hello, I was just thinking of you” kind of a message. I can’t say I always do this, but it sure does happen quite regularly. I have also written short messages to celebrities. And no, you who knows me well know those celebrities are not the ones we see on reality TV or hear on the Top Charts. I have written to for example people I look up to in the fitness community and asked for advice. And the few times I have written, I have got answers back. Once I had been focusing a lot on reading about Iran and its history (yes I am and will forever be an international relations nerd) and I came across the email address to Farah, the former Shah of Iran’s wife. Now, I know she and her late husband are controversial figures in international politics, but I wanted to thank her for agreeing to participate in a documentary called “The Queen and I.” The documentary was made by a Swedish filmmaker named Nahid  Persson Sarvestani and by watching that documentary I learned more about Iran. And she answered my email. The former Queen and Empress of Iran answered an email from me! And yes, I know the email address was valid.

I have over the years heard about the amazing commencement speech Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, gave on June 12, 2005 at Stanford University. Despite having heard of it for years and read quotes ripped from the speech here and there I had never sat down and listened to it in its entirety. It’s kind of like another “Les Misérables” for me. I had heard about the story for years and kind of knew what it was all about, but before the movie came out in 2012 I didn’t (embarrassingly enough) fully know. Thank you Hugh Jackman! Okay, I am rambling. Point is, one day a few weeks back I got the impulse of watching Jobs’ commencement speech. And I am glad I did. It taught me a lot: "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.You have to trust in something--your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever--because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference.” Jobs concluded the speech with: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” Seriously, if you have not seen it, go on YouTube and do it. Just Do It. If you say yes to life, you may find what you are passionate about.

Do I do all the things I am writing about at all times? Heck no! Sometimes I take a very long time to get my butt in gear. So maybe I am writing this post as a reminder to myself of what I need to do in order to keep things interesting. I have heard variations of the following saying many times, but not sure who to credit it: "Happiness is a byproduct of action." So following your impulse, gut or whatever we can call it, may lead to something great. If not, maybe you get a good story out of it at least. I would say follow your impulses if it does not hurt someone else. And don't follow impulses that would hurt yourself either. I mean, you still have to use your head and good judgment. Kind of like it's a great idea to jump out of a plane and skydive. Just make sure you have a great instructor on your back or better yet, knowledge in your backpack to do it yourself. Just Do It!