Ask Why: Living on autopilot.

Are you familiar with the term Auto pilot? It’s like jumping on the hamster wheel in the morning, going through the daily motions and getting off at the end of the day. Don’t get me wrong, often it’s helpful to get into auto pilot so we can get through the day. Auto pilot helps us to not clutter our minds with repetitive activity, but is it at the cost of; ‘Not learning something new?’ ‘Not thinking creatively?’ ‘Not noticing opportunities?’

It reminds me of a story my mother told me about a little girl who was watching her mother prepare a pot roast for Sunday lunch. The mother cut the roast in half, seasoned it and put it into the pot. The daughter asked; “Mum why do you cut the roast in half before putting it in the pot?” The mother replied, “My mother used to do it and she made really nice pot roasts” At the next opportunity, the little girl asked her grandma “Grandma, why did you cut your pot roast in half? Was it to make them taste better? The grandma replied, “No dear it was because I didn’t have a big enough pot, so I would cut it in half and put them into two pots.”

Gustavo Razzetti author of ‘Stretch Your Mind’, says:

“Our brains have developed an unconscious decision–making system so we can take care of routine tasks. It prevents us from overloading.  However modern life has hijacked our bias: The mechanism that is supposed to protect us, is disengaging us from living.”

My 5 Learnings:

·       Understand and consider the context of situations

·       Take time to ask why you do things the way you do

·       Get other people to input into your life to help you see things you can’t

·       Reflect on the day past and discover what you have learned

·       Slow down and spend time every morning reflecting on the day ahead

There is a lot of value to be gained for yourself and those around you if you can be intentional about your daily activity, do what the little girl did in the story, ask why? Think about when autopilot is important, but even more so, how being intentional in your thinking can open new pathways of possibilities in transforming your day, your relationships, and your life.

 My 3 Questions for you:

·       What things /situations/habits are hijacking you from thinking intentionally?

·       Are you feeling like you can’t keep up with life?

·       When is autopilot useful to get the best out of your day?

 “When you constantly live your life on autopilot, you will eventually crash and burn.".”

― Christine E. Szymanski

 If you have something you have learnt from this blog, or if there is something you have questions about, please talk to me. I would be happy to chat with you.

 Remember daily to, “Find value in your influence”