Shifting Out of Autopilot
Up until now, many of us have learned to be on autopilot and believe that things are as they are. But this is changing as we realize and become aware that there are other paths and opportunities we can take. We can put down the manual, explore the unknown and play with uncertainty when we are ready to truly live.
Autopilot is “a system used to control the path of an aircraft, marine craft or spacecraft without requiring constant control by a human operator.” And according to Tesla (the car company!), “autopilot enables your car to steer, accelerate and brake automatically within its lane. Current Autopilot features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous.”
Here is the deal. We are each more in charge of our lives, and more powerful, than we have ever imagined. When we are in harmony with Nature and remember that we are not separate, we only need autopilot for machines, which we are not.
Poet Rainer Maria Rilke reminds us that when “we surrendered to earth’s intelligence we could rise up rooted, like trees. Instead, we entangle ourselves in knots of our own making and struggle, lonely and confused.”
But What if Each Day is A Gift?
No one else in our lives will ask the questions we can ask ourselves when we are ready to shift gears. In every experience and situation that we come across, we can ask ourselves why is this happening or why are we doing it. And sometimes we can also question everything and consider what would happen when we choose not to do something.
When something has no value for us, why are we caught up in it? There are agreements that we made with ourselves that originate from our conditioning that may have put us on autopilot. But each of us has the same access and ability to ask, why? And to also, understand what is valuable for us and what is not.
No one knows what is right or wrong for each of us as long as we are not causing harm to ourselves or each other. How well we make our bed is totally irrelevant unless there is an inspector every day that comes by and punishes us or fines us for not “doing it right.” And often that inspector is a family member living in our head. These are constructs and stories we were told and continue to tell about what is appropriate and inappropriate. But in reality, whether you choose to make your bed, or not, is your own story and the value you attribute to it is your own.
When we no longer need to maximize our time and get everything done, there is fun patiently waiting for us to fully experience it.
And our questions transform to ones like, if we are not having fun, why are we doing it? And new questions pop up like what do we want to enjoy and experience?
No Autopilot When We Give Ourselves Permission to Play
Here is the deal: we don’t have to ask permission to play and have fun. We can choose it for ourselves and move away from a life on autopilot. It requires effort and becoming consciously aware of what is possible. But why not get up excited and curious?
Trekking into the unknown means facing yourself and what’s possible for you as a creator of a healthy life. When you start following the compass of intention, curiosity, and courage, nothing will lead you astray.
Are you constantly living in the past and playing the same character or role in someone else’s comedy, musical, drama, thriller, mystery, tragedy, or horror show?
Like the Earth, are you entering a time of reset? Being curious about the unknown and focusing on your opportunity to create—without the external divisions of old systems and societal programming—allows you to experiment with healthy scenarios for yourself with other adventurers who are willing to question, experiment, and co-create.