You are really only allowed to be spontaneous when you are prepared—any other time is probably reckless.
People love to be spontaneous. They like things to be interesting, exciting, and fun. When you’re well-prepared and acting from a solid foundation, spontaneity can yield good—and sometimes unexpected—returns. However, engaging in spontaneity without any basis whatsoever usually produces chaotic and often negative results.
To illustrate, I have several examples from my personal life.
Investments
When you engage in investments, a strategic and well-thought-through investment thesis is always advisable. People who are consistent and dedicated to a specific strategy usually see the best results. Even when things are down, they stick to their plan, and eventually, they win out—assuming the plan was solid from the beginning.
Reading Warren Buffett’s own recollection of his early progress, it wasn’t necessarily his ability to see into the future that made the difference. Rather, it was a clear and sensible strategy that he followed for a long period of time. In my experience, when I’ve had a solid foundation producing consistent results, that has given me the occasional opportunity to be spontaneous. If that moment of inspiration produces a good investment—great. But if not, I’m only risking what I had specifically allocated for that purpose.
On the other hand, much of my early life was spent making reckless investments based solely on guesswork. There may have been one or two immediate gains, but for the most part, those performed horribly over time.
Leading a Team
Often, when you’re a leader, you’re searching for something that will produce the big win. It’s natural to think that great leaders are the ones who come up with the great ideas. Reality is often the opposite. Good leaders understand and recognize a sound strategy, and then they follow it. They ensure everyone else understands it too.
By being consistent and adhering to a strong strategy, the entire team has something to fall back on when things get tough. Not everything is going to be awesome all the time. So, you need a dependable plan that delivers consistently and becomes the default when other ideas fall short.
With that solid foundation in place, you can afford to take a few chances—to pursue opportunities that arise unexpectedly. Some won’t work out. But some will, and they may hit big. When you take a calculated risk from a place of stability, your team sees you as visionary. But if you chase things all the time with no foundation, people will see you as distracted—and a source of unnecessary turmoil.
Backpacking
When you’re in the wilderness for an extended period of time, especially with a group, you cannot be randomly spontaneous without risking severe—and sometimes life-threatening—consequences.
If you were to wake up one morning and decide to take a group on a week-long expedition into the desert with no plan, no adequate preparation, and no directional guidance, then you’re in for serious problems.
Now, if you’ve carefully planned a hike, accounted for the necessary logistics, and established a base camp, then deciding to do a spontaneous day hike—that’s a different story altogether. One form of spontaneity can get people killed. The other can create memories that last a lifetime.
All three of these examples illustrate that spontaneity can be rewarding—if it’s done at the right time and from a strong foundation.
Spontaneity is never a strategy. It is certainly not a plan. You cannot simply “be spontaneous” and expect to achieve anything meaningful. There has to be some level of preparation for your unplanned actions to have any hope of producing results you’ll appreciate.
It’s like suddenly heading off to Disney World and expecting your group of ten people to have a great time just because you were being spontaneous. Now, if you planned the trip in advance and, once there, decided to shift gears and explore an exhibit you didn’t know about—that could become a memorable moment everyone enjoys.
The point is this: spontaneity can bring joy to your life and those around you. But if you’re constantly impulsive, all you’re going to create is disruption—and eventually, people will start to avoid you.
