Are you spontaneous?” I got asked this weekend. My “yes” came without hesitation.

“Tell me something spontaneous you’ve done lately.”

“I…um…lately?”

I could name a hundred spontaneous things I’d done ­­— ten years ago. But not so much in the last decade, let alone the past months.

What’s happening to me? I have always prided myself on my willingness to try something new, go someplace different, be ready for the next adventure.

Perhaps having a full schedule of being a parent, a breadwinner, a homeowner, with various people relying on me doesn’t much lend itself to flying by the seat of one’s pants.

The other day a friend gave me a lift. Driving down Harbour Road I noticed a new house, then two­ — several places had changed colour, one had a new driveway. It all looked rather unfamiliar. I scanned back and couldn’t actually remember the last time I’d driven along there. A year ago? Maybe more?

There are only three main roads in Bermuda, and it’s been years since I’ve driven down one of them?

Am I turning into my friend’s mum? She lives in the UK, only about an hour outside London. At 60, she is healthy, fit and able, but won’t go into the city by herself anymore, even to meet up with friends. She loves the art galleries and boutique browsing but she says she got out of the habit of going and now she fears it would be too much for her, too overwhelming, too unfamiliar.

I have seen this happen, particularly with age. If we’re not careful, our worlds start to shrink.

Our lives can become concentrated, focused on the every-day, which tends to follow similar routines, habitual patterns, reoccurring challenges. Without realising it, our comfort zones can narrow to fit, and the idea of changing things up, or being spontaneous, can feel like a big stretch or even a fearful threat.

My “everyday” pretty much falls into a tight, four-mile radius (only encapsulating two roads it seems). I don’t mind having a small life, as long as it does not lead to a small mind!

Interesting adventures can happen in our own backyards, but only if we allow ourselves to go on them.

How do I reinvigorate my adventuring spark? However, counterintuitive, perhaps I could schedule time to be spontaneous. We can always create small opportunities to shake things up: try something new at the coffee shop; try a new coffee shop!

Put possible Saturday morning adventures in a hat and pull one out at random. Strike up a conversation with someone new. Take the occasional detour or two!

They don’t have to be life-changing, just enough to keep up my spontaneous spirit so I’m able to roll with the dice (and consequently any punches), keep fear in check and be ready for when life’s big adventuring opportunities swing my way again.

• Julia Pitt is a trained success coach and certified NLP practitioner on the team at Benedict Associates. For further information contact Julia on 705-7488, www.juliapittcoaching.com