On Autopilot and Intentionality

First of all, I apologize for this post not being about the product information that I mentioned in my previous post.  I have a friend who recently was feeling a bit under appreciated, so I chose to dedicate this post to her.  Here is to you Michelle.  I appreciate all that you do.  ;)

I think that we sometimes go through life on auto pilot.  It is partially a result of us having so many things to do, not only for ourselves, but also for our children, extended family, and our jobs.  With so many things to do and thoughts swirling around in our brains, we sometimes can't help the autopilot mode. 

Have you ever been working on your computer, watching television, or reading a book to have your children tell you that they have been talking to you and you just did not hear them?  Have you ever been out on the town and had a friend message you later that they saw you and called your name, but you did not hear them?  How about this one - have you ever missed your turn off from the expressway because you were so deep in thought that you did not notice it coming up?  Thank you to everyone who chooses to go to the next exit instead of crossing three lanes of speeding traffic just so that you don't miss your exit.  Imagine what accidents could happen if everyone acted like the wild driver I saw the other day.  Please spread the word - It is not worth it.  Just go to the next exit and take that extra driving time to refocus your thinking. 

I think that these things happening to us are partially caused by autopilot syndrome and "over-stimulation" of our brains, which can lead to stress.  And we all know that stress does "interesting" things to our bodies, both inside and out.  One of the most visible examples of people who shows signs of stress are  the Presidents.  I sometimes ask myself if the white house buys stock in two innovative product lines - grey-hair coloring kits and wrinkle producing creams.  If you have a few extra minutes, check out the following link to an article about stress.  Stress Article

So what does all this have to do with my under appreciated friend Michelle?  Well, I think that autopilot mode sometimes causes us to not take time to realize the importance that people have in our lives, and in turn we don''t have enough time to focus on the good things in life and take them all in.  We need to start doing that and start telling people how they improve our lives.  I know, not everyone is great to us, but hey, some people are and if we start to really focus on goodness, and expressing goodness ourselves, then the best that can happen should - positive changes all around us.  We can choose to focus on the person at work who refuses to say hello when you greet them, or the person who lets their dog use the bathroom on your lawn without having a bag on hand to pick up the evidence.  (Yes, this happened to me once.  I happened to go outside as it was happening and saw that she did not have a bag.  I politely said, "Oh, I see your baby needed to go, I will run and get you a bag for that."  And I did, and she picked up the poop.  I chose to keep it light and funny, and I think that is why she was happy to comply.  If I had given her a dirty look and yelled at her, she probably would have just stalked off and left me to clean up her mess. 

Today is the day that I will start thinking more about shutting off the autopilot function in my brain and turning on the Intentionality Function instead. I will be intentional in my actions which will lead to greater productivity, greater awareness of those around me, and greater expression of my appreciation. Not that I am admitting that this has ever happened to me, never ever ever...most of the things above were just random examples.  ;)