Featured Image Credit: Trent Erwin on Unsplash on Unsplash
The phone rings, you answer, or someone approaches you with a question. They open in a typical way.
"How are you?"
Before you can respond, or immediately after you answer, they continue with their question. Sometimes you can reply.
"How are you?"
A curt "fine" is the reply before the questioning starts.
The question, 'How are you?' is an autopilot response. Autopilot is the questions, answers, and actions we take automatically, almost subconsciously.
Those question-and-answer sessions are not the only instances of autopilot in our lives. It is morning routines and work meetings. It is our commute to and from work.
It is reciting sales scripts or the same conversations with the same people. Much of what we say is so generic we don't care about the answer. It is a socially accepted protocol.
People call into a store to get their questions answered. Sit for their introduction and still ask, "Excuse me, what's your name?"
How many areas of your life do you find fit this situation? How many things do you coast through and don't remember?
I've had days commuting home where I don't remember the drive. It is so ingrained in muscle memory I zone out. Suddenly I'm pulling into the driveway and putting the car in park.
The danger is you begin living a life that isn't yours—a life where you no longer feel in control.
But this is where the opportunity shows up. Here are ways to shake out of autopilot, get attention and live a fulfilling life.
Break the Schema
Humans are pattern driven. Our lives are constant patterns.
We work out at the exact times and have breakfast simultaneously. Eat certain things at identical times.
This is where the autopilot kicks in. Most of us encounter this. This is why it sometimes feels life is racing by.
This is a problem if you are attempting to stand out. You must break patterns for a business meeting or a new business presentation.
If you are presenting something, the audience flows into autopilot as soon as you roll into things other presenters do. Now they aren't paying attention.
More noise heaped on an already noisy life for the audience. You need to break the pattern to get their attention. Otherwise, you become black-and-white dots against a wall of static.
Instead of asking someone how they are doing, change the question. Rephrase it, "what's new with you?" or change it altogether.
"What is the highlight of your day so far?"
These questions are different and challenging to answer in the same way. As a result, they require more thought. This breaks you out of your patterns and helps to break others from theirs.
Recalibrate Purpose
Sometimes we start on a path with a reason for the journey. Along the journey, we encounter struggles, trials, and tribulations.
Some events are significant enough to shift our priorities. Others take us off course. Then there are the ones that take away or allow us to forget our purpose.
Purpose gives weight to your actions. Doing something because you need to pay your bills is fine. Doing something because you have something pushing you is powerful.
Days will blend. At times we'll be stuck on the same activities. Keeping purpose at the forefront helps to keep every day from becoming repetitive.
With purpose comes thought to our actions. Careful thought and consideration help prevent us from drifting into autopilot status.
What is the purpose of your pursuit?
Challenge Yourself
Find ways to challenge yourself. Challenges require actual thought. Challenges sometimes require out-of-the-box thinking. Stretching your comfort zone puts you in a potion to shed autopilot.
You can't zone out when searching for unique solutions to new problems. You must think.
When you begin to test your limits in exercise, you push further. You want to see how far you can go. Trying new things keeps us on our toes.
You don't have to make your life harder. Stepping out of your comfort zone could be trying new restaurants and vacationing somewhere new.
Leaving home and moving to a new city is a big challenge. Away from everything you know.
This can help to invigorate you if you're feeling bored.
What's Next?
We all fly on autopilot. It isn't always good to let control of our life go to subconscious routines. It can create problems for us before we realize it is an issue.
We can break the autopilot by breaking the schema. Breaking our patterns is the best way to escape autopilot. It also helps us to get attention from others and our audiences.
We can also recalibrate our purpose. When we lose our reasoning for our actions, it can easily slip into a processing routine—allowing the subconscious to take over. Instead, recalibrate where we want to go and focus daily on that goal.
Challenge yourself. Challenges help us to think differently. Engaging our minds. This helps us to keep our minds and bodies sharp.
It's easy to slip into a life of routines and automatic actions. This can steal your independence and leave you feeling a loss of control. Instead, take control, live in each moment, and be conscious of your choices, even if those choices are mundane and unextraordinary.
Extraordinary lives are born from the ordinary.