the algorithm of your life
A good friend of mine has a cat. I have never really been a cat person but I quite like this one. She is smart and full of personality. This clever feline knows how to turn the kitchen faucet off and on, climb up the screens on windows and doors, drapes herself across the back of the sofa when you are sitting on it and she’ll be sure to let you know if you are in her way.
Maybe this isn’t unusual behaviour for a cat but as someone who has only known dogs my whole life, I find it quite amusing. I don’t actually think about this particular cat all the time (unlike I know her wonderful owners do!) but Instagram thinks I obsess over cats. All it took was sharing a few funny cat Reels and memes with my friend to ensure that my feed is now flooded with cats.
Cats! Not things I actually want to see when I scroll. Things like ideas from others on habits. Quotes on mindset. Inspirational hiking posts. Home design and organization ideas. Travel dreaming and tips. Instead, I see cats. Cats, cats and more cats.
I know you are rolling your eyes and thinking I’ve completely lost the plot to cat videos. Trust me, I haven’t. But the lovely, curated, oh-so-personalized (sarcasm) algorithm that is Instagram has. Why is the algorithm trying to convince me that I am a cat person, that I want a cat and that I only want to see amusing cat tricks in my feed every day?
Am missing out by not having a cat? I am starting to think so. I joke. Sort of.
It makes me wonder though ... Does the algorithm know me better than I know myself?
There is so much noise in our always-on world that, in many ways, it would be easier to zone out and just let the algorithm take over. Let others tell us what to do. Let others make decisions for us. Let our worth be defined by what we see someone else doing.
Where would that leave us? Will we look back and wonder what life could have looked like if we had gotten clear about what we wanted? Will we be filled with resentment for all the things we wished we could have done? I know I would. What about you?
In Walking Forward I write about how I needed to pause the noise around me and learn to listen to myself. It wasn’t easy at first. I had never spent time just sitting with my own thoughts. I didn't know what to do. There was no phone to check. No busy of life to drown out my thoughts. No demands from others. It was weird. But then ... amazingly freeing.
Once I started taking regular pauses from everyday life I began to get clear on what I wanted. What I didn't want. Who I wanted to be. I was able to shape my daily behaviours and habits in service of the Sarah I would be proud of. It didn't happen overnight and it is most definitely a work in progress.
But, in a way, I feel like I have taken charge of the algorithm of my life.
If you don’t already take time to quiet the whoosh of life I encourage you to check out so you can check in with yourself. Start by asking, how am I feeling? What do I want? What do I need?
My challenge to you today is to get outside and go for a walk. Just you. No one else. No phone, no podcast, no music. Just the fresh air, the chirping birds and you. Take the time to get used to being comfortable with your own thoughts. What do you hear? What do you learn about yourself? What insights do you have?
I'd love to know how it goes as you create your own algorithm in life.
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