The fact is that the majority of our thoughts and actions are on autopilot. We keep the list of habits, routines, and impulses pretty much the same as we do. As you become more aware of your own habits and routines, you’ll begin to think about how your mindset is changing. And those changes will impact your ability to think and act more effectively.
The problem is when we’re on autopilot for so long that we forget we’re on autopilot. Because when we’re not even aware of our own habits, routines, impulses, and reactions, then we no longer control them we control us.
In the same way that a person with self-awareness is able to exercise a little meta-cognition and say “Hmm… every time my sister calls me and asks for money, I end up drinking a lot of vodkas. That might not be a coincidence,” a person without self-awareness just goes ahead and does it. As long as we take our cues from the world around us, we tend to be more prone to error.
The reason the people that we’re on autopilot for the most part tend to be more prone to errors is because we can’t control our own habits. We simply don’t have enough time to really notice our own failures and mistakes. In the same way that a person with self-awareness is able to exercise a little meta-cognition and say Hmm every time my sister calls me and asks for money, I end up drinking a lot of vodkas.
The other reason is that we can’t control our own thoughts and actions. This may be an example of “no control over your own actions”, but also an example of “you will always be responsible for your own actions”. When you are on autopilot, you can only blame yourself for what you want to happen, and because you have no control over your actions, you can’t really blame anything else for what happens.
All of us have our own reasons to blame ourselves but we can’t control our own actions because we’re not human. Our own thoughts and actions are no more than our own whims, and they don’t even make sense in the context we are on autopilot. Just like what was going on when our parents were being hunted in the woods, my mother’s last words when she was dying were “I’ve got nothing to lose.
I’ve been thinking about this topic for a while now and I’ve put together the following short list of possible reasons why someone might feel like they are on autopilot. These reasons may not be a complete list but they come close enough to get the point across.
People have to be willing to do what they believe is the right thing to do. But it doesn’t have to be that way. If you are the kind of person that wants to live in a world that is constantly changing, and that can’t always be right and in fact will end up killing you, then perhaps you should be on autopilot.
I think the best advice that I can give is to try to be a little more proactive. For example, if you want a job, ask your boss for an application. But if you know that you have a job and you’re not particularly interested in working for that company, you could also ask your neighbor to apply for it for you. If you get a job, you might want to do a little more research before applying.
One of the best ways to save your time is to apply for jobs yourself. I suggest that everyone do this. Even if you have to submit a resume, you need to be able to do your research on the company, what they pay, how long they typically take to answer your e-mail, etc.
