The majority of people go through their entire day on autopilot and end up in bed at night worrying or regretting things they have said or done that day. We fantasize about alternative ways in which we should respond to a specific situation that we feel we did not handle very well in the moment. We imagine the scene all over again and play out the ideal scenario in our minds. We criticize ourselves and we wish we had some other way of being. Whether or not we compare ourselves to others (which a lot of us do), we always wish we were different than we are now in one way or another. Although this is mostly done from a negative standpoint, we reflect at night. We reflect on ourselves, we reflect on our relationships with others, we reflect on our ability (or inability) to pursue a dream. Eventually we fall asleep and wake up the next morning back on autopilot; ready to get through the day and tackle our responsibilities; eager for the day to be over so we can have our free time at night. We spend our free time watching TV, staring at our phone, playing video games, going out, getting high, drinking alcohol, etc. When that time is over, we go to bed and repeat the same cycle. Most people do this until they die.

But what would happen if we turned off the autopilot mode and, instead, maintained a heightened state of awareness and consciousness during the day? If we stop to really think about it, not only do we criticize ourselves for how poorly we handled a situation that day, but we also imagine an alternative scenario in which we handle it quite well; in a way that aligns with our ideal selves. The act of creating this ideal reality in our imagination is meaningful beyond belief. Most of us do not give this phenomenon the credit and power that it deserves. We instead feel depressed or irritated by it, because it leaves us wishing that we could go back in time and change things. Additionally, it seems to happen only at night when it is already too late.

But it is also proof that we are capable of profound insight, problem-solving, and manifestation. We already have the skill; most people just don’t use it toward their advantage and, instead, they use it in ways that are counterproductive. It does not take long to create this alternative reality using our imaginations either, nor does it take much energy. In fact, it almost feels effortless. But the thought of doing this during the day, in real time, feels impossible to a lot of us. Most people live their entire lives never trying. Most people do not even think about it during the day because, once they wake up, they are instantly back on autopilot mode; ready to complain.

However, if we mastered the ability to apply this heightened sense of clarity and awareness – that we experience at night – during the day, not only would we get better sleep at night, but this would in essence fundamentally transform who we are. We would transform into the person that we have always imagined; the person we want to be. We would step into a new dimension of reality through radically shifting our perception; a reality that aligns with our dreams.

Every day we wake up and begin our day deciding who we are, and we present this self to others. Whether we are happy about who we choose to be or not, it does not change the fact that it was our choice. We are very much in control of ourselves. We are in control of our own emotions, feelings, and actions. Even though it can feel extremely difficult to do sometimes, it will never be impossible to do. People who blame others for their unhappiness fail to realize (or fail to admit) that they are the only person responsible for their own happiness. Instead, they never choose to take control of their own emotions; allowing other people to decide who they will be in life. And they complain about it a lot.

If we successfully turned off this mindless autopilot mode, we would instantly become more aware and we would quickly realize how many decisions we actually make throughout the entire day. Most people never reach this level of awareness in their lifetime. Most people will never try. Most people are too wrapped up in the “reality” that society offers them to even notice the possibility. Every day the universe offers them an infinite number of possibilities, but their perception is too limited and superficial to even notice or acknowledge it. Most people absorb themselves in their own self-created drama that they displace blame for and continue the cycle that fits in best with mainstream society.

Hypothetically speaking, what if we woke up one morning and said, “fuck this”? What if we decided to challenge ourselves, thus going against the grain of societal norms, in order to achieve higher levels of happiness and success? What if we chose to free ourselves from our societal trap that we hold ourselves to? What if we did not allow other people to dictate our own emotional state? This is not impossible, and it is not being in denial either. But it does take practice, a lot of conviction, and a lot of patience. Throughout our entire lives, we have been programmed. We are programmed to believe that it is important to look a certain way. We are programmed to care about what other people think of us. We are programmed in more ways than most of us realize. None of this shit matters; it is a façade.  It does not matter if people think you are physically attractive, financially abundant, and/or have lots of friends.

The thing is, success begins (and depends) on the micro verses the macro and the internal verses the external. Unfortunately, most people place significance and value on the macro and the external because it is both socially acceptable and the least challenging to their lack of personal growth. However, every decision we make constructs the foundation of our happiness and, ultimately, our success in life. Every decision we make is important because it determines our fate. How we think when we wake up in the morning is our choice. On autopilot, we allow ourselves to act crabby if we did not get enough sleep, we allow ourselves to feel angry that we cannot stay home and watch TV all day, and we let it turn us into the person that day that we end up regretting at night. With a heightened sense of awareness, we acknowledge the fact that our lack of sleep is causing us to feel tired, but we do not allow it to dictate who we are that day and how we interact with our environment. Even if we did not get the amount of sleep that we wanted that day, we still know that a new day is another opportunity to raise our consciousness and acknowledge each decision as a means to live more in alignment with our desired self. We will be able to identify that we are tired, but our perspective of this state will be different. We will identify it, but we will not allow it to control who we are. We will acknowledge it, but we will not become negative because of it.

How we respond to other people and situations and how we interact with our environment is crucial to our success in life. We should think about who the first person is that we interact with in the morning and how we respond to them in the moment. When they say something to us, what is the nature of our response, the tone of voice, and the body language we use? And what is the source that dictates this response? This is not a trivial reflection. All day we interact with other living things; whether it be family, acquaintances, co-workers, a friend, an employee at the store, an animal, etc. Each interaction, no matter how small, contributes to a much larger scale. On autopilot, our responses are automatic without thought; they are fueled by our current emotion. On autopilot, our emotions are dependent upon external factors. People who remain on autopilot mode lead lives fueled by stress, insecurity, and envy. They choose to complain and hold little to no accountability for what they complain about. It is easy to blame outside sources. But it takes determination, patience, and sacrifice to evaluate yourself and take the necessary steps to evolve. Most people choose to spend their time and energy on ‘the meaningless’: gossip, envy, negativity, instant gratification, etc. They do not go about their day with a heightened sense of gratitude. These people live their entire lives “wanting”, and their happiness and overall satisfaction about their life depends on whether they have “it” or not. This lifestyle is purely optional. Anyone who tries to convince you otherwise is currently incapable, unintentionally by choice, of seeing clearly. Some would even say they are “toxic”.

“Toxic” is a very popular word in society these days, people love to use it. When most people use the word “toxic”, they are usually referring to another human being that they feel should be avoided. And, in a sense, this is correct. I am not denying that there are people in this world who are particularly pathological in ways that are destructive toward themselves and others and, for this reason alone, they should be avoided. However, most people are incapable of identifying all things toxic. To them, the definition is relative to their personal perceptions and biases; they are merely awake to a part of the whole. They think their ex-lover is toxic, but the social media platform they use to repeatedly view their ex-lover’s profile is acceptable.

There is just so much to say. I will continue later. Thank you for reading.