Have you ever been driving to work and when you arrive, only to grab your half empty lukewarm coffee from the cup holder to walk through the doors —you realize you have no idea how you even got there?
Not going to lie this has been me and definitely still me at times. Especially if I think back to the days of being a breastfeeding momma, rolling into work with a “mascara-only” day, hair in a messy bun, and possible dried milk on my tank that I wore under my sweatshirt! Oh larwd, just having that flashback with you as I wrote it made me take a sigh of relief that phase of my life is over.
But, when one phase ends another one begins! Now, it’s packing lunches, ensuring all school-folders are cleaned out, kids fed (half of a pop tart counts), and can’t forget their clothes match with shoes on their right feet.
My point is this…life is full of phases that we learn to master (we could even do them in our sleep). They are built in our everyday life as something we do. Something we get through. Something that becomes a checklist. Something we just manage. This is when we must analyze are we in survival mode to get us through this phase and doing each day in auto-pilot? If so, then each day becomes the same. Life is doing you, instead of you doing life!
How do you get out of life in autopilot mode? Here are 3 things I have done to help push myself into a mindset of growth. A mindset of enjoyment. A mindset of living life.
- Know your true purpose! (Again probably a whole other blog post about this later). I am lucky to know my purpose and I craft it each day. My focus is there. My life becomes more fulfilled with meaning and each day takes a different shape.
- Schedule it out! I use to think it was absolutely heartless to schedule out my time with my husband, kids, morning routine, work schedule, etc. I had a false belief that scheduling it makes it not come from the heart and I should naturally make it happen. Let’s be honest – I finally had to call bullshit! Scheduling my day from start to finish has allowed me to be proactive and not reactive. It has allowed me to be present for the person I am with, instead of needing to be somewhere else. (Now that I’m writing this #2, I realize I need to do a better job of this at work, instead of just a target to do list).
- Fuel Yourself! If you are running on empty then of course you have to be on auto-pilot. The number one excuse for us not fueling ourselves is “I don’t have enough time”. That takes me back to #2 (you’re hamster wheeling it). Schedule the time to fuel yourself. I believe another reason people don’t do this, because they haven’t figured out what exactly “fuels” them. You must know what motivates you. We all stay in a ‘searching zone’ but never do trail and error to figure out what we need to be happier, to change our mindset to positive, to become the best version of ourselves. We say it- but never put action to doing it! What fuels me may not fuel you! Cars don’t run off of other people’s fuel in their car. They run from the fuel in their own gas tank. You must fill your car up with your own fuel.
I get it – easier said than done. I am victim many times to stating – “Same shit, just another day”! I mean SERIOUSLY—- We are in control of the “shit”. I have to get myself off the hamster wheel, put in the work that I know makes each day amazing. Just do the Damn Thing! I want to be the person that says to people “I am OWNING the Day”!
Are you?