Have you ever gone about your day and feel like you’re just a cog in the machine? Like you’re a robot, just going through the motions. It can feel like a total out-of-body experience. Each one of us is trying to get to our destination. Most days, we don’t even notice what’s going on around us. It’s all a bit, weird.

When I started noticing this feeling, it was because I was burnt out and overwhelmed. I was commuting an hour and a half, one way to work and hardly ever saw my friends or family. It took me four years to wake up and smell my surroundings. When I woke up, I finally noticed all that I was losing in life.

Around this time, I was a dedicated Fixer Upper fan. I loved the way Chip and Joanna Gaines were with each other. So carefree, fun, and clearly lovers of life. But then they decided to stop taping the show. Like other fans, I was sad to see them go. After thinking about it, though, it made so much sense. Their lifestyle always revolved around family and remembering what was important in life. The show took up a lot of time and taping after taping, they must have felt a little like a robot. I was happy for them when I saw why they were doing it.

Before you come at me and tell me that this is just what life is like, take a second and look at your life. What do you see? Are you happy with what it looks like? If you’re not, then you are in that robot stage. Sad, but true. Only you can change where you are if it’s not where you want to be. So create an action plan and start reverse engineering each step to move yourself forward. It’s not going to be easy, but it is going to be totally worth it.