Leaving the Land of Autopilot: Reclaiming Your Life with Intention

Reclaiming Life with Intention: A Black Woman's Guide | Evolving Black Woman

Have you ever looked up and realized that days, weeks, maybe even months have passed—and you’ve just been moving? Not truly present, not fully aware, just coasting through routines, reacting to life instead of living it?

It happens to the best of us. Life gets loud. Responsibilities pile up. We get caught in the rhythm of survival, thinking, I just need to get through this week. But then another week comes, and another, and suddenly, we're living life on autopilot—unconsciously moving through motions without checking in with our why.

But what if I told you that autopilot isn’t living—it’s existing?

Keep Your Head to the Sky

And you? You weren’t meant to just exist. You were meant to be here, be present, be fully in the moment.

So today, I want to talk about how we break free from the cycle of autopilot and step into a life that’s intentional, awake, and truly ours.

Recognizing the Signs of Autopilot Mode

The first step to changing something is seeing it. Autopilot doesn’t always announce itself loudly—it sneaks in quietly, disguised as routine, exhaustion, or even the comfort of predictability.

Here’s how you know you’ve been coasting:

🚦 You’re moving, but you don’t feel connected to your actions. Your days blend together, and you struggle to remember the last time you truly felt in the moment.

⏳ Your joy is always scheduled for ‘someday.’ You keep telling yourself, I’ll rest when I finish this project. I’ll enjoy life once I reach this goal. But ‘someday’ never seems to arrive.

📱 You’re consuming more than you’re creating. Endless scrolling. Numbing distractions. Filling your time with noise instead of meaningful action.

😞 You feel drained, but you don’t know why. Even when you get enough sleep, even when you check everything off your to-do list, something still feels… off.

If any of this resonates, this is your wake-up call. It’s time to take back control.

How to Reclaim Your Life & Step Into Presence

1️⃣ Start Your Day With Intention Instead of reaching for your phone the moment you wake up, take 60 seconds to set an intention. Ask yourself: What kind of energy do I want to bring into today? Even a small shift like this can change the entire rhythm of your day.

2️⃣ Interrupt Your Routines Break the cycle. Take a different route home. Eat something new for breakfast. Change the way you do even the smallest tasks. These tiny interruptions force you to be aware of your actions instead of moving unconsciously.

3️⃣ Use the ‘Pause & Breathe’ Method Whenever you catch yourself moving without thinking, pause for five seconds. Take a deep breath. Feel where you are, right now, in this moment. Your breath is an anchor—it pulls you back to the present.

4️⃣ Ask ‘What Would Make Me Feel Alive Today?’ Not what’s on my to-do list, not what do I need to get done?—but what would make me feel fully here, fully myself, fully alive? It could be dancing, calling a friend, sitting in the sun, creating something just for you. Prioritize those moments.

5️⃣ Rebuild Your Connection with Yourself When was the last time you checked in with yourself—really checked in? Journal, meditate, have an honest conversation with yourself. Your intuition has been speaking to you this whole time, but you have to slow down long enough to hear it.