Disrupting Autopilot

Happy #GivingTuesday. What a blessing, that we could

set aside a day to support our favorite non-profits as we

wrap up our Thanksgiving holiday and move into December.

Our twenty-second annual Thanksgiving Trek actually took a

little detour out of our regular routine as our two older kids

each brought their significant other along.

We actually hiked on Thursday instead of Friday, which turned out to be a good thing since the rains didn't start until late Thursday night. It felt a little weird, to be out of our usual schedule, but it's so cathartic to step out of our comfort zones.

Did you know that we spend upward of 47% of our time,

almost a half of each day, on autopilot?

Read about that {here}, {here}, and {here}.

Autopilot. It's actually a topic that came up on my walk this morning with my friend Lynn, who told me that in services on Sunday, the Pastor requested that everyone pick up their stuff and move to a different spot in the sanctuary. 

So would that disrupt you, just a little, 

to have to move out of that comfort zone, 

to another spot in the room?

It would me; I love being in the back on the left.

But I also see the beauty and benefit in seeing the place

from a different viewpoint or perspective.

It actually sounds like an idea I might use 

in a future #empathy workshop.

I often invite participants 

to come to the front,

to the expensive seats,

to the learning splash zone.

And typically they don't.

Especially teachers.

I've found that teachers are notorious 

for sitting in the back of the room.

But can changing our perspective and 

choosing to experience life from a new angle,

 switch autopilot off by inviting us

to look through a different lens?

To observe.

To notice.

To appreciate.

What if moving enhanced our experiences

by making us more mindfully aware?

What if we have to get uncomfortable

to understand better,

to grow stronger,

to learn more?

What if it takes disrupting autopilot

to bring us back to our purpose, 

to give us the gift of the present?

In the words of Wisconsin author David J. Pollay, 

from his thought-provoking book The 3 Promises:

Most people sit in the same seat and expect life to come to them. Be different. Change your seat and you will come to life.

What small rituals might you change this month, that could 

disrupt that 47% and bring you back to mindful living?

★

Pray.

Share.

Donate.

Forgive.

Connect.

Simplify.

Play more.

Give grace.

Sing louder.

Smile bigger.

Try a new recipe.

Eat healthier food.

Get up a little earlier.

Go to bed a little earlier.

Practice new yoga poses.

Enjoy a new television show.

Take a different route to work.

Try a new flavor of coffee or tea.

Listen to a different genre of music.

Workout at a different time or location.

Invite someone new to workout with you.

Switch classes with a colleague for an hour.

Pick up the phone and call instead of texting.

Sit somewhere different at your next gathering.

Live more generously.

Love unconditionally.

Laugh out loud.

Make it a December to remember.