Life wasn’t always so carefully planned. We used to let the world unfold around us and simply stumble upon things—the coolest, most unexpected things that surprised and excited us.
These days, it seems everything is curated and catalogued. We check reviews before stepping into a restaurant, research every road before we even pack, and ask for people’s Amazon gift lists so there’s no guesswork involved. Everything is pre-approved, pre-packaged, and pre-digested. We’re so conditioned to have answers at our fingertips that we’re forgetting about the pure joy in just ‘winging it’. In the process of preparing for every little bump, we’re forgetting how sweet it is to be able to detach from outcome and take a chance.
Sure, everyone loves a well-thought-out plan, but I think we’ve gone too far. The unplanned, unscripted moments ignite something within us—an energy, an aliveness that we just don’t get from perfectly planned days. When we know everything ahead of time and have a clear path laid out for us, it might feel comforting in the moment, but it’s like painting by numbers—there’s no space for the gloriously messy, the unexpected, and awesome happenstance—no space for our best, most radical new work ever.
When we take away the unknown we remove a vital part of the human experience. Embracing uncertainty builds coping skills, strengthens resilience, and, ironically, helps reduce anxiety. Yes, it’s true. We grow and evolve through experiencing the unexpected. Joy lives in that place. Knowing exactly what’s to come leaves no room for discovery. And I believe that constant need to control is making us feel less safe than ever. You can’t live fully and creatively without taking risks.
And this tidbit keeps coming to mind—we are the last generation to truly understand the power of surprise, the last to know what it was like before everything was online, and the only generation to fully understand both worlds—before and after the digital age. We are the last to know what it’s like to go into the world without a link to anyone, without a plan, head up and looking directly into the world, ready for anything.
Life isn't meant to be a rigid set of steps—it’s meant to surprise us, challenge us, and, most importantly, inspire us. So drop the plan and go for it, whatever it is. Your masterpiece won’t be found in someone else’s template.
Love,
Laura. xo
