When we aren’t sure if it’s our head or our heart running the show, it can feel as though our lives are on “autopilot.”
I’d written a description of autopilot and then found one even better to share with you from an article in Success magazine:
1. You dread the day ahead.
2. Your daily routine is predictable.
3. You do things without thinking.
4. You can’t seem to put your phone down.
5. You stay deep in thought.
6. You have a difficult time remembering.
7. You can’t seem to let go.
8. You’re not making meaningful progress.
9. You say “yes” more than you say “no.”
10. You know there’s a better life to be lived.
Guilty of more than one? Me, too.
Here are a couple of nuggets from another article in the same magazine
The biggest part of pulling yourself out of autopilot is doing it in a way that doesn’t change altitudes too quickly, with a flight path that’s tangible and doesn’t burn all of your fuel and send you into a nosedive.
Autopilot has a homey feeling to it because you know what to expect—Tuesday is laundry day and take-out. Falling into a routine provides structure, yet when you think back to the moments in life where you felt most excited, proud and alive, they’re usually products of change.
In 2015, I created a powerful 6-month coaching program called Women Living Intentionally. We came together as a (way cool) small, courageous group to explore topics including:
Visioning
Motivation, Blocks and Self-sabotage
Relationships, Friendships & Connection
Cultivating Creativity, Play and Joy
Identity, Aging, Meaning and Purpose
Self-Compassion, Mindfulness and Being Authentic
Essentially, we talked every month about ways to get off of autopilot and find a FOCUS; to connect & support each other in the process.
So, just for today – What’s Your Strategy?
Switch off the autopilot, and get focused.
Perhaps for you this means:
connecting with others in a meaningful way
experiencing moments of pure joy or simple pleasure
overcoming a challenge – no matter how small
trying something new
Here are a few questions to explore (or journal on) from the article above. (Although if you know me, I’m rarely this specifically linear, and the term baby steps makes me slightly crazy. I prefer “micromovements” or “incremental changes.”)
1. Where do I want to be, professionally or personally, in one year?
2. What baby steps can I take to get myself there?
3. Is my time currently being used in a way that helps me reach these goals?
Play with this a bit. It can be fun, really. Tune in to the positive aspects of the world around you.
