Is life just happening to you or are YOU making life happen?
Have you ever been deep in thought, but not entirely sure what it is that you’re thinking about? Sort of like thinking about things that could be happening in life right now? Ever leave the house or car but completely forget the second after whether or not you locked your door?
When you’ve lost your source of adrenaline in life, goals can become meaningless and days can become blurry. Life becomes overloaded but yet it feels like you could’ve done more. Sometimes without realizing it, the lack of passion in life can stem from living on autopilot — an unconscious decision-making system that helps manage your routines so you don’t overload with work. It’s great for what it’s meant to do!
However, making unconscious, automatic decisions that don’t align with how you want to live your life can and eventually WILL disengage you from the present and future leaving only your past full of regrets and “If only I did this”.
It’s not too late to turn things around! The fact that you’re here and aware that you may be on autopilot mode, let’s check to see exactly what living on autopilot looks like:
Time flies for you (even when you’re not having fun)
You do things without thinking about it
You can’t seem to put your phone down
It’s becomes difficult remembering what you were doing
Your routine is pretty much predictable
And the most clear-cut feeling: You feel that you’re missing out
If you relate to most of these signs, chances are you’re on autopilot — safe and sound. And even if you find this common among your friends, family or coworker, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best. This commonality alone just proves why it’s important to get out of this and live life with greater intentions.
Taking hold on the reins of your life
Building Awareness
Are you allowing autopilot to switch on because it just happens, or do you want it to? Building awareness of your behaviour will not only allow you to identify when these repetitive patterns kick in, but to understand WHY you’re doing them too. Are you making choices of what you want to eat or what you want to wear? Take notes and challenge your behaviour.
Setting Your Final Destination
One of the key things that determine whether or not you’re living on autopilot is where you’ve set your final destination. If you’ve set one that is. When you’re carrying out tasks, or going down different paths in your life, without your final destination figured out — these paths will take you nowhere.
Do you want to be remembered for helping others? Or living a happy life? What is your final destination in life? Your life’s mission should be a guiding post that inspires your actions. With your final destination in mind, you’ll make more conscious AND effective decisions.
Making Minor Changes In Your Daily Routine
So, it’s time to spice things up in your life. It’s hard to go from autopilot to acting mindfully instantly. Changing the smallest things in your daily routine will kickstart your source of adrenaline in life.
Change the flavor of your morning tea before work Take a different route to work that you normally would Switch up the radio/podcast you’re listening to in the morning Start talking to a coworker you don’t normally speak to Wear something that you haven’t work in a year
Doing these things won’t change your life ultimately but they will allow you to experience life differently. You’re actively avoiding that autopilot switch.
Slow Down, Pause, Reflect
When you’ve got your foot on the brakes, you’re in control and the autopilot is switched off. When you’ve slowed down, taken a breath and paused, you’ve created a space for you to reflect.
Is this what’s right for you? Are you happy with how far you’ve come now? Is there something that’s not working for you? What’s happening and why?
By asking yourself the tough questions you are actively following the guiding post you set out to achieve. That requires honesty, dedication and persistence.
Develop Patience & Keep Being Uncomfortable
This last point is easy to brush off but I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to have the patience to see yourself grow. It’s easy to get distracted and fall back into our daily routines because it’s safe. It’s easy to get sidetracked and take shortcuts that end up taking us further than we originally were.
Patience is a virtue and the question that still remains is up to you to decide. Will you challenge your behaviour, continue pushing past your comfort zones and have the patience to see your character grow? Or, will you stay in your comfort zone, rush your intentions and feed your ego? Because that is when you’ve switched on autopilot again.
How will you take hold on the reigns of your life?