Aimless, on track, one and the same. They’re on autopilot as I like to call. Looking but not seeing, working but not trying… not motionless, but directionless. I see people on autopilot all the time, some are on it for a short duration, but others an entire lifetime. It isn’t their fault, being on autopilot isn’t a conscious decision as it comes naturally doing the easier things in life. I get it, it’s easier to be a sheep in the herd, than the shepherd dog leading them.
Autopilot is a mindset, a mindset of ignorance. It’s when people live their life not seeing the bigger picture, not trying to improve their flaws, not striving for more knowledge and being contempt with what they are given. It’s when we do things for the sake of doing it, without understanding the “why”. The dictionary defines the opposite of proactive as “reactive“, which can be thought of as a synonym of autopilot. Reacting to the ripples of life, never creating it. This is hard to explain, maybe that’s why, it is even harder to notice.
You know, you are on autopilot in life when you can’t answer the simple question of “Why?”, Why am I doing this? This doesn’t necessarily have to be directed towards the big things in life, like your life goal or your ambition, instead you can learn a lot from the smaller things, like your daily habits, attitude and hobbies. From simple things like, why you reach for your phone every chance you get, to why you always feel behind in life. The failure to ask these questions is what makes you reactive.
All this is confusing I know. And to be honest, autopilot is a feeling, more than anything else. Same with being proactive, it isn’t about changing the world, it’s more to make you, more you. For me, autopilot is about not being in control of my actions, not knowing what I’m working for, not being aware of my surroundings and not having control over the direction my life. Taking action with conscious intent, speaking with clear meaning and ignoring the meaningless noise, are some of the ways by which I’ve learned to focus on what actually matters. Yes, I have been charged of being on autopilot as well, but I have my hands firm on the steering wheel now.
I have read your article carefully and I agree with you very much. This has provided a great help for my thesis writing, and I will seriously improve it. However, I don’t know much about a certain place. Can you help me?