“Life is not a journey you want to make on autopilot.”
~ Paula Rinehart

It’s been a very busy few weeks for me and I feel like I’ve been on autopilot for a lot of it. Work has been busier than normal, I’ve been pushing to finish my new book, then my mom had a health scare that still needs my attention, my dog needed vet care, my hubby and I had scheduled holiday time we didn’t want to cancel…and things collided all at once.

So, I took some of my own advice and paused to take stock of what is most important for me right now.

I skipped my message last week, and this week I’m sharing a reboot of a video and blog I posted 2 years ago. Like I said…taking my own advice. Summer is a great time to pause and ponder what’s important to you. It’s key to help you get off auto-pilot and fly toward success on your terms!

Watch the video below or read the transcript that follows!

Get up, do life, wonder if there’s more, sleep, repeat.

Sound familiar? Life is busy. And for most of us there’s a day-in-day-out routine that we have, that’s often operated on auto-pilot.

There’s zero problem with that if you like what you do, and if all your variables are working well for you. I hope they are. Yet for many of us, life is busy. It may be deliciously busy, but it’s busy, and when life drags you in multiple competing directions every day – to do, to do, to do – it may feel like your routine has you trapped. We don’t mean for it to happen, but in the daily ebb and flow of life it just does. Stuck on auto-pilot. Now what?

Every single one of us has the best intentions to be better versions of ourselves. We want to live energetically, do work we love, and get the most out of life. I sure hope so anyway. The problem as I see it, is that we don’t always give ourselves the time to figure out exactly how we want that to look. We don’t consider our daily routine. Because we’re ‘busy’. Busy doing life.

And here’s what happens. You trundle along on life’s daily path, auto-piloting your way through the variables – Get up, eat, kids to school, work, eat, sleep, repeat, walk the dog, work, work, eat, sleep, repeat, repeat, repeat– until one day you realize you’re tired. All the time. Or you feel like you need something more or different with work. Or you wonder where your health and vitality disappeared to, or when the spark in your relationship went out.

John Lennon said it best. “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”

The shift happens gradually and it can take a while before you notice you’re off course. You may beat yourself up for not seeing the signs, or for not making the changes, or for not doing it sooner, but that’s life in all its brilliance and imperfections, all its highs, lows and heart breaks.

You can love the person you’re with, but wish for more from the relationship. You can be inspired by the work you do but be challenged by the people you do it with. You can have bold dreams but lack the courage to make them happen. Brilliance and imperfection. You may have a great job and great family life, but your physical health is holding you back. You may need a reboot after a difficult but much needed split. Or a redirect after getting laid off. Or a new routine after settling into a big move. Highs and lows. Or you’re starting again after loss of a job, a loved one, a home. Heart break. It’s all part of life.

If you feel you want something more out of life, it’s not a bad thing. In fact, it’s pretty common, and it means you’re primed for growth. Recognize that you’re in flux because you’ve been living your life. You’ve got skin in the game. You’ve been gaining life experience, and every high and low has been helping you learn what you truly want next out of this crazy life you’re living.

If you’ve been making small improvements to how you work and live, keep doing what you’re doing. And if you haven’t found time, use this post as a nudge to get off auto-pilot and reboot your recharge.

The first step is to recognize you have a problem. If you’re navigating your day, so busy that you’re only half-conscious of what you’re doing, not pausing to consider what you want or need for yourself…you’re on auto-pilot.

Step 2, break away from ‘busy’ and take 10 to ask yourself, What’s working? What’s not? What do I want more of? What do I need to say no to? Figure out where you want to fly in this next stage of your journey, and then switch off that auto-pilot and put your eyes to the horizon.

Step 3, start each day by taking 5 minutes (heck, 2 will do) to get clear about even one thing you want to accomplish today.  And then start on it. It’s a simple way to take back control of what’s important to you…and it also helps you practice being mindful of what you need for yourself at any given moment.

Let the routine of your day sound more like this: Get up, dream big, #DTFW, grow as a person, sleep, repeat.

More fun, more fulfilling and definitely more focused.

If you need another nudge, go back to video #7 Existential Spring Clean. In that video, I guide you through a work-life re-think process that’s worth repeating as part of this reboot. Go watch that one again (or the others in this series) … then share this post with anyone you think is stuck on auto-pilot.

And, if you need a compassionate and caring COACHING kick-in-the-butt you can connect with me through the website too.

Michelle Cederberg, CSP, MKin, BA Psyc
CEP, CPCC, ORSC

Empowering today’s dreamers, leaders and go-getters to create the life and career they want.


www.michellecederberg.com
403-850-5589

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