Are You On Autopilot?

I have a confession to make. I run on autopilot far more than I would like to admit.

Can I share a story about one of my recent autopilot experiences? Ok, I knew you wouldn’t mind.

Black and white instrument panel of an airplane

Photo by Adam Johnson

I had gone to our local Wesco gas station to grab a couple of Coke Zero/Coke Zero Cherry 20 ouncers. I opened the front glass doors, went to the pop section, picked out my choices, and went to the cashier. There, I made my payment and went to exit the store.

Cue the autopilot moment.

I get to the door and SMACK!!! I walk right into the glass door. Yeah, the one I opened up by hand to get into the gas station.

I’d become so accustomed to automatic doors at gas stations that I autopiloted right into the glass. Talk about embarrassing! Even more embarrassing? I’m sharing it with you guys. But that’s okay.

Are You On Autopilot?

My experience in the gas station made me think about the rest of my life. I began to document all of the other areas of my life where I’ve been known to autopilot. A few of them are:

  • With my youth group
  • With my wife
  • With my work
  • With my writing
  • With my running
  • With my comic book collecting
  • With my reading

Autopilot kicks in and I just do a lot of those things. Sometimes, autopilot mode gets things done. More often, it makes me turn in a performance to get through the day. One that I’m not proud of when I look back on what I did.

When we revert to autopilot, it is easy to put in the minimum amount of effort. To go through the actions and check things off of our lists.

So, my question to you is

Are you on autopilot?

If you’re like me, you probably are or have been. It’s time to break free.

Let’s choose to break the mediocrity of flying on autopilot. Let’s choose to be present and aware of the work we’re doing, the people around us, and our environment.

Follow Me

Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.