Today is another wonderful day and the beginning of another work week.  The question for yourself is whether or not you are going to go about this day and this week with intention or if you are going to be on “auto-pilot.”

Being on “auto-pilot” is living your day and moving about your life without much regard for what it is you are doing.  Maybe you do the same thing every day and you get so accustomed to it that your body just “knows” how to do it.  Take for example, driving your car to work.  Do you get on the road and somehow just end up at your place of work?

Similar to a pilot that places the plane on auto-pilot so the plane can fly itself, we go about portions of our day the same way.   How many times have you eaten a meal and when asked you would not be able to say how it tasted?  How many times have you had a conversation with someone and you do not know what the other person said?

Another good example to a lesser degree is when you meet a person for the first time and you do not remember their name that they said just a moment ago.  These are all examples of not only being on auto-pilot but also being unaware of your current moment.

When you are unaware of the current moment there is a tendency to be in your “head” rather than in your “senses.”  Being “in your senses” is immersing yourself in your surroundings and the moment.   As we discussed a few days ago, you need to create a definition for yourself of “being in the moment.”  Sometimes, though, events and activities such as eating a delicious meal get lost in the chatter of our minds.

Being in the moment means different things to each person as we discussed in another message.   There is also being present in the activity of your life.  They are the same concept but just presented in a little different way.   When you are present in the activity of life, you are tasting the meal that you are eating, you are paying attention to the drive to work, and your are actively listening to others that are speaking.

Being present in the activity of life also means that you forge memories because you paid attention to what was going on.   How do  you do that you might ask?

Well, the first step is to quiet your mind, and trust in the universe.  If you pay attention throughout the day when you are “somewhere else” when you should be listening to the person in front of you speaking, it is often times because of worry, fear and other negative emotions.  Sometimes it may be because of excitement and happiness as well.

When you feel yourself “drift off” you need to clear your mind and focus your attention on the activity that lies before you.  When you listen to a person speak the best thing that you can do for that person is to engage fully in listening.   Do not think about how you are going to pay your bills, what you are going to have for lunch, or how they put on their make up while you stare at their face.  Think about and immerse yourself in understanding the words that they speak and the meaning of those words.

Engage yourself with their inner self and feel the energy of the person speaking.  Feel the reason for the conversation and set your intention for the conversation.  That is, speak your words with intent rather than on “auto-pilot.”  Yes, we speak on auto-pilot, too.   Watch yourself throughout this day and you may find some auto-pilot responses.   A good one, is your response to “how are you?”  Sometimes the person asking the auto-pilot question has an auto-pilot response to your auto-pilot response!

As you go through this day, do every single action with intent.  When you stand from your chair you usually have an intent of why you are standing.  When you make a phone call, you usually have a person that you want to speak with.  When you send an email you usually have a reason for the email.

Do you ever stand up from your chair without reason and sit back down again?  Most likely not, unless you forgot the reason you were standing.  Go about your day with intent.

What is the intent of your email, the comment you make as a response to someone in conversation, etc.?   When you act with intent, you will find that there are lots of things you say, or do that have no intent whatsoever, but rather, fill space unnecessarily.

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When you act on auto-pilot, you may find that you can be much more efficient and productive in everything you do in your life by deciding the intent of your actions before acting in the first place.

Written Dec 09, 2013