I’ve found that whenever I haven’t come to terms fully with a commitment, an “auto-pilot” takes over my actions. Let me explain and see if you can relate.
Let’s say I’ve determined (again) that I’ve been eating too much ice cream and think it’s a good idea to take a break.
The next time I go to the supermarket, I do a great job stocking up on veggies. But instead of finishing at the checkout, I find myself walking towards the freezer section.
I then have a conversation with myself where I’m strangely curious about this development – “Hmmm, I don’t think I need frozen veggies… why would I need go to the freezers?”
Suddenly I’m in the freezer aisle, and now I’m saying to myself – “Oh, you’re here for ice cream. Come on Ben, let’s head back to the checkout”.
But instead my body keeps going and I then find myself in front of all the ice cream, and the conversation turns to – “Oh wow, connoisseur is on special. That’s nice to know but this doesn’t concern me”.
But then I open the ice cream door, and whatever inner-voice remains is silenced and I’m making my way back to the checkout with ice cream in-hand, almost in a haze.
It’s a routine I’ve found myself in regularly. My “auto-pilot” will kick in and dominate all my actions, even if there’s a little voice in my head trying to object.
This experience may be unique to me, but I’m sure you’ve had an auto-pilot take over your actions too. What I’ve found is that it’s very hard to eject the auto-pilot in the moment. But when it happens, I’ve found it a great signal to examine a commitment I want to keep.
So next time you feel the auto-pilot kick in, use it as a sign to explore why you’re continuing to act a certain way, and whether you really want to change.