Life is busy and expensive.
Making decisions and just existing as a human requires resources like money, thinking energy, emotional energy, attention, time, and self control. And that doesn’t even count adult responsibilities.
Luckily, our brain is really good at taking care of a lot of things less-consciously, or “on autopilot”. Autopilot saves us from this mental load by making basic decisions without much involvement, thought, or other resources. This is very useful when pouring myself coffee, as I might not need to decide every single day whether I want cream or sugar in my cup and I can spend more energy talking to my partner or my children while I multitask.
Living mindfully is the exact opposite, it is act of using autopilot as little as possible, it does not allow for multitasking as easily, and it is very expensive.
Some people can’t afford the resources (mental, emotional, time) to mindfully spend one minute, let alone their day to day lives.
When people become overwhelmed or spend continuous time in a cycle of maximum productivity or stress, we can become stuck in autopilot, especially if we are so overwhelmed that it is the only way we can afford to function.
Autopilot is a useful tool for saving resources.
As useful as autopilot is for mundane tasks, it can’t drive us toward our goals, it can’t identify where our passions or interests lie, it only takes the path of least resistance, which is often the most familiar path. If we do not mindfully check in often enough, we may find ourselves living a life we barely recognize as our own. The sudden realization that the job, relationship, or lifestyle doesn’t bring fulfillment or even enjoyment can be shocking and overwhelming.
These feelings are real and important, and paying attention to these signals is the first step towards building a life you look forward to living.
If this sounds familiar, don’t worry – you’re not alone!
SO MANY PEOPLE struggle to enjoy the lives that they have spent a -ahem- lifetime building. But it’s not too late! This is how we do it…
If we take some of the energy we are spending already on building this life that is not satisfying us, and we spend that energy on building something that does satisfy us.
It is never too late to choose fulfillment.
It isn’t fast, and it isn’t easy, but it is worth the effort to seek joy.
It is our right to have life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
How to change your life:
1. Take back some energy
2. Put it somewhere else
That’s it, no secret formula, no guru visit, no monthly subscription.
In order to change our lives we must take back some energy from elsewhere in our lives. I can’t tell you where to take that energy from, you have to decide that for yourself. We can talk about your priorities, responsibilities, and values and what energy will be the least sacrifice for you to take back.
The good news is that step 1 is usually the most difficult for folks. But, it does happen that people have been in autopilot for so long that they don’t actually know what they want. Sometimes folks think I should be able to tell them what they are missing in their lives, but I can’t tell you what brings you joy or satisfaction! We can talk about your interests, your history, and develop a plan to push outside your comfort zone in gradual and well-supported steps.
If you are ready to make a change, and you want help figuring out how to do it, I can help with that!