Are You On Auto-Pilot?
Coasting through life? Have you been following the same path since high-school? I’m not so righteous to assume this isn’t the right path for some people, but are you on auto-pilot?
In many circumstances, knowing where you will be in 5 years time is a good thing as it is a sign that you have direction, goals, and purpose. But if you know exactly where you will be, and it depresses you, it is time to wake up, grab control of the wheel, and change course. I have a few friends who studied accounting at university and yet hated the idea of becoming an accountant. Fast forward 5 years to the present and guess what? They are accountants, and they hate it.
I actually think this list, although helpful, is a little too broad. Do you think we could discuss more specific or habitual circumstances? Maybe personality traits that develop more ‘auto-pilot’ lifestyles and ways to break those kinds of patterns?
5 Signs You Are On Auto-Pilot – [IWillChangeYourLife]
Tags: 
Loading ...
Comments
Scott Kustes says on September 6th, 2007 at 10:34 am
I think #3 is HUGE. I’m currently working on revamping the direction my life is heading and realizing that there are things I wish I had done before I had school loans and a mortgage. A friend of mine graduated college and then spent a month backpacking Europe with absolutely no direction…just took off to backpack solo. I went to work and wish I had taken the time to be adventurous. I’m now at a point where I’ve been following the status quo life, doing things I don’t have any interest in because “that’s what people do.” I am turning the auto-pilot off.
Scott Kustes
Modern Forager
Peter says on September 6th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
Great to hear Scott. I went straight from school to college, but then took a year off to travel. I wish I had gone sooner (but am at least happy I went at all!). The most important lessons in life are often not learned from a book or a classroom – they come from getting out there and trying new things (in particular, those things that make us uncomfortable).
Peter says on September 6th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
In regards to the list being too broad: the headings are very broad, but I have tried to scale back the examples of being on autopilot when discussing them. I’m interested to hear what other people think though…..
Zaq says on September 6th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
The article is a bit of a no brainer… the more interesting subject, is what to do about it.
It is very easy to identify lack of direction, unhappiness, or being on “auto-pilot”, it’s much harder to figure out what to do..
There are risks, costs, and other pressures in life. How do you go about changing your path in a responsible way? Dropping everything and wandering the Himalayas is not an option for most people. Jumping from career to career is also very detrimental to your resume. People will stop taking you seriously.
Peter says on September 6th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
In regards to the above comment, my intention in this article is to wake people up and make them realize they are living their life in a particular way. “What to do about it” will certainly make for a good article, but the first step must always be an awareness of the situation.
I want to make it clear, it is not the destination that I see as the problem here. It is the way in which this destination is often pre-determined, and the unconscious way in which people seem to steer towards it.