# Overrides

## The Quiet Autopilot

Life hums along on its own settings most days. We wake at the same time, eat familiar meals, nod through routines shaped by habit, work, and expectation. These defaults keep things smooth, but they also box us in. A job we tolerate because it's steady. A grudge held because letting go feels risky. An evening scroll because it's easier than facing the quiet. We're not wrong to lean on them—they save energy—but they rarely lead to the paths we truly want.

## Choosing to Press Override

An override is simple: a deliberate shift. It's pausing before snapping at a loved one and breathing instead. It's saying no to the extra hour at work to walk in the park. Not grand rebellions, but quiet decisions that reclaim the wheel. In programming, an override customizes code for a better fit. In living, it customizes our days. Last summer, I overrode my fear of heights to climb a hill with my niece. Her laughter at the top made the wobble worth it. Small overrides build lives that feel like ours.

## Living with Purpose

By New Year's Eve 2025, as fireworks light the sky, reflect on your overrides. They aren't about perfection, but presence.

- Forgiving a friend who drifted away.
- Starting that sketchbook after years of "no time."
- Calling home instead of waiting for them to reach out.

Each one rewires the ordinary into something meaningful.

*What one default will you override tomorrow?*