Are you doing things now because you’ve always done them that way (even if you don’t really like it)?
- Maybe you know you’d feel better with a green smoothie first thing in the morning instead of your usual cup of coffee (not me – I need my caffeine fix! But maybe you?)
- Maybe you make dinner every night, and wish somebody else would take over sometimes.
- Maybe you always set your alarm for 6:30am each morning, but are always rushing out the door and know that setting it for 5:30 or 6 would make for a much slower morning routine.
Whatever it is, you stopped questioning why or how you’re doing this. You may not even realize that what you’re doing isn’t working.
Are you doing things that once served your family and no longer do?
Your kids have gotten older and their schedules have changed, or you’re used to planning errands around naps … that no longer happen. It’s time to revisit family routines and your own ideas about what you can do.
For yourself.
Most of us get stuck on autopilot. It’ happens.
But now, it’s time to break out and take control of your life again.
Get Curious to Move Out of Autopilot Mode
One of the best ways to move out of autopilot is by asking questions like:
- How would I like my mornings to look and feel?
- What do I like about our summer plans (or the holidays or our weekly routines)?
- What would feel good right now?
- What would be fun to try?
Another way to think about this is to write a list of things you want to do. They don’t have to be possible. You don’t have to figure out how to do them right this second.
Just take 5 minutes to write down things you want to do—anything from finish a coffee before it gets cold to learn to use my camera to take a trip to Paris.
Get curious about your responses. What really calls to you right now? What about it is appealing? How could you make it happen?
Your brain will start to tell you stories.
I can’t take great pictures. I don’t have that kind of eye.
I’m not creative.
I don’t have the time to learn something new right now.
I just paid for camp. I can’t pay for a course for myself.
But still, there’s something in you that’s excited by the idea of that savored coffee, the idea of getting past the autosettings on your camera, strolling down the Champs Élysées. It’s okay to want things for yourself. It’s okay to move toward your dreams.
Move Beyond Autosettings and Autopilot
Sometimes we go into autopilot mode because we’re too busy or tired to think about steering. And sometimes we shift into autosettings … the default of what we think we’re supposed to be doing.
It might sound like: I chose to stay home with my kids, so I shouldn’t want to be doing something creative on my own or I wish I had more flexibility, but I should be happy with my job.
We fall into boxes other people created—and we may not even realize it.
It’s exciting—and a little scary—to break out of a life of autosettings. It’s refreshing to move beyond autopilot and get curious about what else is possible.
I see this again and again with moms who work with me, whether in ongoing private coaching, or Imagined, or Momtography® classes.
During Momtography® they learn to get past the autosettings on their camera.
They learn to take better pictures—how to play with light and position to get a great shot, how to interact with their kids to get natural responses, how to use the settings on their camera to make a shot more interesting, focused, better.
And even if they aren’t fiddling with a camera, they learn to get past auto mode in their life.
They step out of the autoresponse to everything happening around them. They take the time to learn something new for themselves instead of focusing on everyone around them. They get excited about what they can and will do with creativity. Again and again, I see people gain confidence when they get curious and commit to themselves.
If you are ready to move beyond auto mode in your life—it’s time to take the first step to change.
Even if you don’t think you are creative. Even if you don’t have the time right now or think it’s selfish to do something just for you. (It’s OK to take it even if it seems selfish—and it isn’t really selfish, because your family will benefit from you being the best version of yourself possible.)
Imagined is a 6-week exploration moving you to action on your creativity through self-discovery, curiosity, and commitment to yourself and your life. Through emails and short daily action steps + 1:1 coaching with me, you’ll gain clarity and start moving toward your dreams.