Lesson 5: Autopilot

Autopilot

The thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that we are not aware of, that are running in the background are operating on autopilot. 

Autopilot interactions from the subconscious mind are like when a pilot gets into a plane and rather than manually flying the plane hits the autopilot button and the plane flies itself. Except we don’t wake up and hit an autopilot button, we automatically begin running on these set of programs the moment we wake up.

Let’s look at some specific examples of how you may be running on autopilot without knowing. 

Example 1:

You wake up in the morning and before your feet even hit the floor you are already dreading your day. Ugh the thought runs across your mind another day of the grind. I wish I didn’ have to go to work. 

Chances are you’ve been running on this program since when you were young and had to get up and go to school. It is not a conscious thought that you choose every day to wake up to and think, but yet you wake up every day and think this thought. Why?

Because this program is running in the background – the program of dread for having to get up and go to work. 

Chances are this thought spirals into another one – such as that dreadful meeting you have with that stressful client today or how much work you have to do that has piled up on your desk from the week .. or insert whatever other dreadful thought you are having about the day.

You go turn on the shower and all throughout your shower you are running through scenarios in your mind about how awful and tough the day is going to be. 

These thoughts are creating a negative emotions which are then releasing the stress hormone cortisol into your system causing you to start your day in an unmotivated, overwhelmed state where you don’t feel good. 

Stealing your joy and happiness. 

Creating internal chaos that attracts more chaos. 

If this scenario describes your morning routine or at least your morning thought routine – do you expect you will have a good day? More than likely not! Because you have already set yourself up for a day filled with stress, negativity and dread. 

I’m not suggesting that every day is going to be a perfect day with lots of amazing things happening for you, but it can be. Simply by becoming aware of the autopilot thoughts you have each morning and beginning to create new thought patterns that shift out of the negativity and into happiness and freedom from the endless mind chatter.

Other autopilot situations:

• A person cuts you off in traffic and you respond by yelling, racing up next to them and throwing the finger to them then cutting them off. 
• A co-worker says something to you that doesn’t sit well and you take it personally, get offended, and clam up; throwing an attitude to anyone who looks your way for the rest of the day.
• You bite your nails every time you are stressed out
• You get into an argument with your partner and clam up, refuse to talk, and go hide yourself in the room.
• You walk into your office and see the stack of paperwork on your desk and say to yourself, there is so much work to get done, I will never finish all of this. 
• You look at yourself in the mirror and have a negative comment about your body or outfit every time you view your reflection.

Next time you have any kind of a reaction to someone or something – pause in that moment and notice what the reaction is. More than likely you are reacting in a way that you have reacted to for as far back as you can remember. This is autopilot – it’s a reaction, a response, or a pattern that you don’t even think about, it just automatically happens without your awareness. 

If 95% of our day is run by the subconscious mind, then we are only aware of 5% of our thoughts, emotions, behaviors, actions, reactions, etc. This means the majority of our life we are running on autopilot without being aware of what programs we are actually running on. 

The more awareness you practice daily and in situations, the more you will be able to see the automatic programs. Through awareness it is possible to implement new programs that become new habits.