The 6 Year Old Pilot

Shhh, do you hear that?

The thoughts in your head run on autopilot. Where did they come from, and why do you have them?

Pay attention. Listen. What are you thinking on repeat? Listen to your thoughts to quiet the war within you and calm the chaos in your head.

Jack Canfield uses a metaphor: Imagine you are on a plane ready to go on a trip, and the pilot comes on and introduces himself. He’s six years old. You probably don’t feel good about that and may get off the plane. Most of us have six-year-olds running our lives. We developed beliefs and ways to stay safe and unknowingly carried those beliefs into adulthood.

Pay attention to what made you feel safe at age six and decide whether to keep those behaviors or find a new way to be in the world.

A woman once told me that when her kids were little, she wouldn’t let them get dirty and was a clean freak. She kept her house and kids immaculate. The result was that they were often sick. A doctor told her that her kids immune systems weren’t developed and to allow them to be exposed to germs.

Think of your thoughts as an immune system. They can give you strength or keep you weak. Low doses of stress build strength, which is how we ward off or recover from colds and flu.

What are your automatic responses to the stressors of life? Is it helping you or hurting you? Do you fight it by complaining, shaming, and blaming? Or do you consider it part of your immune system and use it to build strength?