A Simple Guide to Living Life with Wild Abandon
Written by Katie Tallo
Summer fills me. It fills me with colours, sunlight, breezes and laughter. It fills me with hope.
As I ran this morning, I turned onto a shady path. The sun cascaded through the trees showering me with dancing light that reminded me of childhood bike rides. I couldn’t help, but raise both arms with wild abandon.
This moment was about fullness – living my life fully and honouring my youthful dreams fully. I am filled with a million ideas today, but most of all, I am filled with that sense of wild abandon. I know it is calling me, signaling me, and waving at me through sunny leaves. It wants me to stop talking and start doing, to stop fearing and start stepping up, to stop making excuses and start living with wild abandon. I’m ready. Are you?
Here is my simple guide to living life with wild abandon. I plan to start right now.
Fall in Love With Your Life
Get intimate with your world. Love everything about it. Look at it deeply. Look at your home, your friends, your possessions, your body, your food, your clean air and water, your culture, your family and know that you are blessed, that it is all yours, is plentiful, is enough. From this place of love and gratitude comes the courage and freedom to live more fully.
Flow With Your Life’s Momentum
Recognize the gifts, signs, inspiration and motivation that flow your way everyday. Life has a way of telling you things and showing you things. Events, people and opportunities drift into your world offering you momentum. Don’t let them pass by. Grab hold and allow them take you on adventures towards unknown territory, new relationships and wider possibilities. Be fearless. Momentum will carry you where you’re meant to flow, if you let.
Make A Change Today
Decide to make a change – a big change – something you know you want to do, but haven’t done yet. That back-burner-pipe-dream-some-day-if-only-I-could change. Decide to make that change today. I mean really decide. Take no prisoners! Get off your ass and do it. What are you waiting for? Life is happening. Life is short. Your life deserves this shift, this movement, this momentum in the direction of your dreams.
Own Your Passion
Buy into your brilliance. Who cares who might be doing it better. Buy into your unique way of doing whatever it is you love to do. Own it. Own your way, your style, your voice, your choices, your vibe, your energy. Own your passion, then live it fully every day.
Choose To Live Larger
Realize that you choose your life. Choose to say “adios” to being a victim or to sabotaging your dreams. Exercise your right to choose. No one, no church, leader, boss, spouse, relative, store clerk, fitness trainer, doctor, expert – no one can make you live your life a certain way. I can only encourage you to choose to live larger! Choose to allow yourself freedom, space, time, relaxation, education, joy – whatever it is that calls you – don’t be afraid to call it back with your whole heart.
Get Wild
You don’t have to tear off your clothes and run naked through the neighbourhood, but you can shed old habits, tear off masks, let go what others think and begin to feel the vibrancy of momentum hitting your face and splashing across your soul. The more you let yourself take chances, risks, lose control and get silly, the more fully you’ll live each and every day.
It’s a beautiful summer evening and I am full. Full of hope, desire, love and expectation. Today, I choose to appreciate what I have, flow with whatever comes my way, make big changes, own my passion, live large and get some wild momentum going in my life. This is my simple guide to living life with wild abandon.
Maybe, you’re thinking there is nothing simple about this guide – nothing simple about wild abandon. Big change is work. Risk is risky. But the truth is, there is nothing more simple or more basic. When we were children we knew how to play, explore and wonder at our world, so we know we have it in us — somewhere. We just need to raise our arms in the air with wild abandon once in a while and it will all come rushing back to us.
This post was inspired by a deeply moving speech given by Motivated magazine editor, Shevaun Voison, for TED. If you have time, it’s worth a listen. Click on this link: Shevaun Voisin: Reinventing the Self
Photo by Nathan Jones.
52 Responses to “A Simple Guide to Living Life with Wild Abandon”
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Katie,
This was inspiring! I feel so moved after reading it. Too many times we forget the joy that flowed through us so naturally when we were children. Each day was an adventure and we bounded out of bed so enthused. If we would attune to that – there is be no stopping us! Thanks so much for bringing me back to that natural state – where each day we discover miracles.
Angela, thank you for the lovely words. I’m glad you were brought back to those youthful, miracle-filled days. Sounds like you had a wonderful childhood.
Hi Katie
this is a fantastic post. perfectly stated… and really inspiring.
your blog has a lovely clean look that i appreciate very much. i can’t wait to work my way around and see what all you have going on….
nice to meet you! xxo, kim
Kim, very sweet comments about the post. I’m glad you like the blog’s look as well. Chloe of Simple Rabbit from the A-List Club designed the header and I’m really happy with it. She’s terrifically talented. Great meeting you too!
Hi Katie. I really feel like I lived this post this weekend. Between unplugging for the weekend, our heatwave breaking, and knowing I’m going to be having lots of recharge time at family events the next couple of weeks, I’ve felt the return of ‘wild abandon.’ Part of my momentum involves radical self-care, plus honoring new creative callings like guitar lessons and learning Italian. I feel excited to be getting my life back again!
Jean, I’m so happy you lived with wild abandon this weekend and are looking forward to more to come. I know what you mean about self-care and honouring those callings. Well done! You deserve to get your life back. We all do.
Hi Katie,
There is this marvelous enthusiasm coming through your words that can’t help but inspire. This post resonates because my life seems to be moving in the direction of bigger and riskier. Wild abandon? Hey, why not!
You go for it, Gail. Why not, indeed? I think bigger and riskier is wild abandon personified! Can’t wait to see what you do.
Katie, I feel your wild abandon. I’m off to take some action and recover some enthusiasm – sitting in front of a screen isn’t doing it for me!
I feel this growing wild abandon too, Alison. The sharing and excitement we all gather on the internet is great, but, like you, sometimes I have to get away from that screen to regroup and re-energize.
Love this post, Katie! I’ve been going through a phase of feeling overwhelmed with everything that’s on my life’s plate and this post is so well-timed! Flowing with your life’s momentum.. Now that’s what I need. Thank you and yes, I am going to now go and fall in love with my life..
God Bless You!!
Hi Prerna. You know, so many people I know are overwhelmed right now. It’s odd how balance, for high achievers, is so difficult to maintain. Yes, flow, take time and embrace your life. All those to-dos will get done, and if they don’t, does it really matter?
Great post! This is something I really needed to hear. I’m not sure I had wild abandonment even as a kid, but I think if I look hard enough I can find it as an adult. I just put you on my RSS feed last week and I’m so glad I did!
Melissa, seems like you’re not the only one who needs this. Maybe since you didn’t use up all your wild abandon as a child, you have stores and stores of it just waiting to be released. Lucky you. I’m happy you’re happy you found me. Big hugs! Now, go play!
Katie,
I love the word “wild abandon”. Since having kids I am reminded to let go and be wild and carefree as they are, living freely.
Sometimes with many tasks pending in our to-do list, it seems impossible but we simply should make more time for it, as it does wonders to our attitude. Thanks for reminding.
Preeti, I love the word “wild abandon” too. Funny today I’ve noticed tweets that call it “gay abandon” and just “abandon” but it’s all the same and tweets are lovely. Yes, kids can bring out the kid in us for sure, and helps us get back to what’s important. Sounds like you work on that daily. Great to hear from you, again.
Dear Katie, it was fantastic to put a face and a voice to your picture and writing this morning. I read this post on Sunday and just soaked it in when I was working with my camera, something I am loving and finding extremely challenging – all the terminology and the learning is overwhelming but it is my wild step into a dream of being able to take part in an ounce of the photography world that I have worshiped for years…And talk about wild abandon (of my current career path and direction….) And your writing spoke to me so well. Thank you for being back and for writing again and sharing of yourself….
Dearest Farnoosh, it was so fantastic to see your laughing, open face on Skype this morning. You are exploring and pushing yourself and sharing so much with your readers everyday. I’m so proud of you and thrilled to call you my friend. Much love.
p.s. I have a secret dream to take up photography too … but first I must tackle that sugar addiction and get my vegan groove on. One thing at a time in this journey.
I am happy to go on a vegan challenge with you in October and I will try to maintain mine going forward AND teach you everything I learn about photography! Friends we definitely are!!!
Katie,
This was exhilarating to read!! I feel all pumped up with my own “wild abandon”…just from letting your words enter into my soul.
And that feels AWESOME!!
As I read this, too – I’m reminded of this past month or so…and many events that have just seemed to have fallen into place…like the universe is transpiring to help me. Of course, I have to choose to move into these places. And I have been. The one that feels most out of my comfort zone – and also the one that has the most meaning to me – is coming up (and I have chosen to accept this place of “wild abandon”). It’s scary and exciting at the same time…
Anyway, reading here today – very moving – especially given where I am at right now.
It’s time to PLAY!!
Exhilarating is good — in fact it’s great! I think wild abandon lives outside our comfort zones. How wonderful that your recent brush with wild abandon also means so much to you — now that’s the universe conspiring for you to jump fully into whatever has come your way. Have fun!
Katie, this is fantastic. I love Fall in love with your life and Own your passion…What an inspiring and uplifting post. Thank you so much! You really are momentum gathering, and it’s really inspiring your readers too. Blessed!
Lovely Elana. Gather, fall, own, inspire, bless, momentum — words, lovely words.
“We just need to raise our arms in the air with wild abandon once in a while…” yes it may not appear simple but having the idea of perhaps choosing wild abadnon once in a while makes it feel easy to do. I’d love to live that way all day every day, and perhaps one day I will – in the meantime wild abandon can definitely get squeezed in
Such an invigorating post! It’s contagious
Aileen, I did it again today. I think I’m either losing my mind or gaining my wild abandon in buckets loads. When I was running through a field today, the sky was swirling with puffy clouds above me and I couldn’t help it. I raised my arms (checking over my shoulder to see if anyone was behind me on the path). Like you, I’d love to live that way every day, but even if it’s just for a moment, it seems to stay with me all day like tiny seeds of joy scattered on my shoulders. I think if I raise my arms or dance or even holler woo-hoo, once a day, I’ll begin to live with wild abandon. I bet your dancing does it for you.
wow katie – this is my favourite post of yours. it sings to be and the energy and love for life that come through it are really are moving. perhaps its because here in the UK, summer vanished a couple of weeks ago… but seriously, I’m enacting every one of your points at the moment. thx for a beautiful piece of writing
Mark, wow! High praise. I was singing as I wrote it so I guess it shows. I hope you embrace each point. Too bad your summer is vanishing. Mine just seems endless, which is rare for Ottawa.
Call me wind bcesaue I am absolutely blown away.
Hi Katie, very inspiring post! I’m feeling the wild abandon, trying to flow with life’s momentum. Risk is just a normal part of living. Have a great week full of wild abandon! xD
Good for you Lynn! I wish you a week of wild abandon too!
Katie,
Wow you are some writer. Your energy is jumping off my screen. I like the “make a big change and be wild.” I’ve been putting off a big change but no more;) You’ve inspired me to get off my arse. Thanks…I’m printing this off to put in my journal to reread!
Thanks Tess. Love your writing too. I hope you jump all over that big change and make it happen. Why the heck not? After all, an arse should be shaken not sat on. You go shake it!
Yes!!! As I read this, one thought kept running through my head: Let out more of the real you! Each point in your guide is a call to live a little more, be more true to ourselves, laugh and cry a little harder and witness each passing moments with just a little more presence. I feel your fullness and I’m inspired!
Belinda, when I read your blog I really get the sense that you are very much the real you. I’m so glad you felt inspiration to be full, be present, be a little more you. The world will only be greater for it.
If we work on our passion it no longer becomes as task. It becomes a way a life. A way to see the world with a purpose. Without a purpose we just float in the air and breathe up all the oxygen, eat up all the food and drink up all the water. You have a purpose beyond that. You have ideologies and talents and abilities that need to be used. Used to share a glare of greatness unto the world. It takes time to realize, yet when you do this. Your happiness on this BIG BLUE ISLAND IN SPACE will increase ten-fold.
Great way to look at life, and our passion and purpose on this planet, Jonathan. Thanks for your thoughtful comments.
I loved everything about this post! My life is not a larger than life collection of momentous daring events… But little by little, I’ve been making alterations and tweaking the aspects of my life I choose to participate in. I’m trying to make my life support my daily sense of spark and awe and drive… and so the points in this post really make me proud of the small changes I have been able to make. I appreciate you and your thoughts for that!
Elaine, thank you so much for your sweet words. Those tweaks and alterations you’re making will create huge change in the long run. You have a wonderful approach to daily life and should be proud. You’re on the right track. I appreciate your thoughts very much too.
Hi Katie
This is my first time at your blog. I found you via Alist Blogging which I recently joined. Really enjoyed your post. Love the part of embracing your passion and living for the moment, could not agree with your more!
I did actually watch the Ted video at the end of your post. Thank you so much for recommending it. It was very powerful and moving. I was really touched by it, so thank you for sharing it with us.
Cheers
Thea
Welcome to my blog, Thea. Isn’t A-List great! Yes, Shevaun is so inspiring. I’m really glad you dropped by and liked what you saw and read. Cheers!
I wish I’d read this fully to the end as I got so fired up I went immediately out nude jogging. It’s OK as I don’t have to be in court until Xmas and the policeman says I have very little to defend myself with by the look of it. I love the phrase ‘wild abandon’ as it has such positive energy and freeing spirit. I didn’t even know my wild side had been abandoned but I do know backside will be banned. But thanks anyway it was fun to let loose and and be feel liberated after all these years. I didn’t feel guilty even if that’s what I will plead!
LOL, John! The image you’ve just created in my head is priceless. John “Wild Abandon” Sherry. Can’t wait to see that mug shot.
I’ve just made some big changes. I start University again on the 30th of Nov. Little freaked out (ps love the photo of the girl spinning around)
Looks like you’re exploring some of my older posts. That’s cool. Back to school, how awesome. Freaked out is such a great state of being really. Have fun freaking out, but not too much.