8 Impulse Decisions Even A Wallflower Can Make

I'm a wallflower, I'll admit. But people get surprised when I tell them how much stuff I do randomly. Sure, being in crowds or talking on the phone makes me nervous, but with anything else, it's actually not that hard to go out on a limb and try something just for the hell of it.

1. Body modification.

For me, things like making a phone call or trying to hug someone for the right amount of time are like pulling teeth. But I'm surprisingly tolerant with the literal kind of pain. Piercings, a tattoo, and I have a list of ideas for way more already. Don't tell my mom.

2. Road trips.

I've dropped everything and run for the chance to catch a ride with protesters on the way to a march. I know full well that it's taking a risk to join a bunch of strangers while they speak out against political issues in the middle of a street. But I'm willing to take that risk, if it's something really important to me. Just don't hand me the mic.

3. Changing my studies.

I've changed my major twice already. Luckily, I've narrowed my main interest down to languages. Unluckily, there are so many options to try out. I get distracted and want to take up Korean, or Arabic, or Pig Latin when even English is hard for me sometimes. Good thing Truman has lots of language classes...

4. Trying out new fashion trends.

God forbid I try and present something in Public Speaking, but radical changes in appearance? No sweat. Buzz my hair down, make my nails sparkly gold, give me something with sequins or velvet in it. I'll flaunt it proudly until someone smiles at me and I try to hide behind a tree or something. I'm like a turtle, ok, and I will hide in my shell if I feel threatened.

5. Very... interesting food choices.

My stepdad likes to pick out the weirdest thing on the menu and jokingly recommend it to me. Only to be shocked when I actually order it. Don't dare me to do anything, because I'll take it as a personal challenge. And no, I won't share my bacon ice cream sundae with you. Small talk is hard, but grossing out my family with weird food is easy as cake.

6. Going new places.

I'm the type of person who likes being alone at night, just walking around. I've been known to wander streets for miles, looking at trees and houses and whatever else there is along the way. I get turned around a lot as a result, but it's usually worth it. How did I end up downtown two hours away from my house? A bad attention span and me being reluctant to ask anyone for directions. Not always the best pastime, I know...

If I ever get lost in the woods or something, you'll know why.

7. Staying up all night.

This one is really dangerous. In my heart, I know that I need sleep and will become furious the next day when I'm exhausted and grumpy. Then a friend tells me about a Lord of the Rings marathon at 1 a.m. ...Sign me up! That's for future me to deal with.

8. Competition.

As someone who avoids conflict like the plague, you'd think it would be hard for me to be assertive in games or contests. But somehow it's more anonymous when you don't know any of the other people, and that makes scoring a goal or running a race not so bad. When I'm competing in something, I'm just another contestant in the background. If I actually win, though...I go all "deer in headlights".

I still have that tendency for split-second decisions. But being spontaneous in these areas is easy — it's the social stuff that's not as natural. For a quiet person, I have way too much fun doing impulsive things. It's communicating with other people that I really need to focus on.