I love movies, it doesn’t matter what, I like a good film and screwball comedies, done well, with something a little different can be a great escape.
Most of you following this Blog will be of an age to remember Airplane!, maybe you aren’t as old as me, but may have been introduced to it by your parents. The best character in the whole film is Otto, the Autopilot, a fantastic piece of imagination by the writers to create a character, made of plastic and air, who sole purpose is to fly the plane, with a fixed grin and stare over his plastic face. They even created a persona for him, he played himself and was last seen flying off in the airplane, at the end of the film, with a female autopilot beside, classic movie moment.
Otto the Autopilot, Airplane!
Well, I am guilty, guilty of living my life on autopilot, just going through life without any real purpose, just doing things without thinking, without putting myself into the process, just carrying out my daily life on AUTOPILOT. I see the same from those around me, just following instructions, doing the minimum to get through the task involved, just doing what has been requested and no more, somtimes not even that. Some people’s autopilot may carryout tasks better than others, but mine was set to do the minimum required to make my way through life.
Once I had made the decision to change my life for good, I came to the realisation, that if I am to grow and succeed in life, I need to put myself into all that I do, not just my boby and the air in my head, I need my heart, my mind, my soul, my everything to do the job at hand, to the best of my ability and take some pride in my actions.
So one night I changed my profile picture on Facebook to Otto, the Autopilot, I vowed that the picture of Otto would represent me, until I have finally de-activated the autopilot system within me. That picture remains still, although I am trying, I still find myself coasting from time to time, carrying out my daily life without giving my all. I am really trying, but it’s so easy to fall into the autopilot trap, that same trap that allowed me to get so complacent in life that I nearly let myself slip off the earth.
Finally I’m worth it, though I’m not perfect
It still feels right
And I keep on givin’, try’n to make a difference
In my life
(Best Of Me by The Letter Black)
I am sure that I am not the only person who can say they are guilty of living life on autopilot, many will never admit it, but few live their entire life giving their heart, their mind, their soul, their everything to all that they do.
Are you Otto?
Does he represent part of you?
If so, I challenge you now to do something about it, today!
The Bottom of a Bottle 
Well put! Keep going forward, and use your past as only strength, footholds to your present and future!
I’m old enough to remember Otto…… and stop calling me Shirley! I picked a bad day to give up sniffing glue 🙂
I think I have the opposite problem, I put a lot into most of the things I do and then I’m hurt when I realise that others aren’t doing the same.
I have found the same thing to be honest, it was seeing that others that I teach were getting through on autopilot, despite my best efforts, that made me look inside to see if I was leading by example, the sad fact was that I wasn’t, so time for change, time to challenge myself and then challenge others to follow my lead.
I just wrote a post that could be like an Otto. It would be a very good thing for me to pick up the Bible every day but – you know. It’s “HARD” I whine. Picking it up would be a very good thing for me to do. Sometimes it seems like I want to stay exactly where I’m at even if I’m not in a very good place. My spikey but well-known rut.
I find it hard too, some days I blame time, when time is just part of my autopilot thinking, I should blame myself and make the time, but sadly I still don’t so Otto hasn’t been switched off just yet.
We are two peas in a pod, but I promise I will try harder if you will try with me.
Wayne