Have you ever caught yourself just existing?
Not really living. Not fully engaging. Just… letting the days pass, letting the game of life run in the background while you check in when convenient.
I did. And oddly enough, it happened while playing Minecraft.
There I was, deep into StoneBlock 2, a modded version of the game that thrives on automation. I noticed something: I wasn’t really playing the game anymore. I had set up systems to do it for me. I was checking in now and then, making sure things ran smoothly, but I wasn’t experiencing it. I wasn’t experimenting, creating, discovering. I was just watching.
And then it hit me.
This is how I’ve been living.
The Autopilot Trap
Autopilot is subtle. It doesn’t announce itself with flashing lights or sirens. It’s quiet. It feels like routine. Safety. Numbness dressed as comfort.
You stop setting goals—not because you don’t have dreams, but because you’ve forgotten how to move toward them. You stop engaging fully—not out of laziness, but because you’re tired, or afraid, or overwhelmed. You wake up, do the motions, pass time… and wonder why it feels like nothing’s changing.
Autopilot is a survival mechanism—but it’s not where life thrives.
Noticing the Drift
The first step to changing anything is noticing it. That moment in Minecraft was silly, yes—but it was also profound.
It was the voice in my head whispering: “You’ve stopped playing.”
And then: “What else have you stopped playing with? What else have you automated?”
That question opened a door.
Finding the Controls Again
You don’t need to overhaul your life overnight. You don’t need to shame yourself into productivity. But you do need to return to the controls—gently, intentionally.
That’s why I created a check-in ritual. A way to ask myself, every day:
- What moment am I living in right now?
- What intention do I want to set today?
- What am I avoiding?
- What did I notice?
- What feels alive?
These aren’t tasks. They’re touchstones. They remind me: I’m not just the observer of life—I’m its co-creator.
Waking the Pilot
If you feel stuck in autopilot, you’re not broken. You’re not behind. You’re simply… disconnected.
And that’s okay. The system isn’t down. It’s just idle.
The good news? The controls are still within reach. The power has always been yours.
You don’t have to change everything all at once. You just have to take one breath, one question, one action that reminds you: you are here.
You’re not just watching the world go by. You’re not background code. You’re the pilot.
And today—you check in.