I’m Rachel Dickson: TEDx speaker, storyteller, and truth-teller exploring what it means to return to your truest self. This is a space for healing, authenticity, and the bold inner work of choosing yourself, unapologetically.
I thought I was choosing…until I really looked — Field Notes with Rachel Dickson
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5/06/26 I’ve been thinking about thinking lately...and also about routines we create and repeat each day to navigate necessary tasks. And then the habits that often seemingly just default out of the routine. I’ve wondered just how long...how many months and years will we continue the same repeatable patterns? How long or even what does it take for us to awaken from our habitual slumber? Without question one of the answers is major life-changes like job changes, divorce or loss of our pets. But I think that we don’t have to be run by our lives. Do we? Where we pull ourselves back into awareness...and ask ourselves… We can do the same exact thing over and over and over and possibly destroy ourselves in the process because we’ve allowed ourselves to drop into unconscious choice or essentially auto-piloting. Almost like we get caught in a loop...basically decisionless...because we’ve already decided to do the behavior before the moment even arrives. Like going to the movie theatre for example. The only time we consume an entire bucket of buttery popcorn is each and every time we go to the theatre. Unless...we actually choose not to buy the bucket this time. Where the choice is actually based upon supporting our body’s health...versus mindless consumption while watching an action film. You know what I’m talking about...the triggering moments that cause us to proceed with a specific behavior. Do this thing...and this will be the resulting behavior. You get in the car...drive from point A to point B and light up a cigarette. These are examples of when a scenario playing out before us...leads to very specific behaviors. Which...ultimately are habitual responses. It’s ironic that this whole thought-topic stemmed from realizing that many of my routines have completely changed recently due to the passing of Reeses Pieces and Will Willis. Literally overnight...daily tasks that I repeated over and over for 15 years vanished into thin air. The need to do these tasks abruptly ended. And I found myself a little stunned as to my realization that I was no longer required to do the daily dog things. And then I found myself standing in the middle of the awareness of this...and that now I could choose nearly anything to do in its place. What a fascinating thought! We all have 24 hours in a day...and what we truly choose to fill our days with is completely up to us. I’ve been working with a practice called, “notice what you’re noticing” and let me just say...this practice shines some really bright light on thinking patterns...and default behaviors. It calls into question, “Why am I doing this right now?” Habit? Routine? Autopilot? I have a lot more to discover about myself and what has been driving my action or inaction for all these 54 years. What a journey we are on! I would love to hear any insights you may have about the juxtaposition between habit/routine and conscious choice in your day-to-day experiences. Namaste. Wild-Heart Practice of the Week:Interrupt the Autopilot** Not a big, dramatic one, Pouring your coffee. And ask yourself: “Am I choosing this right now?” That’s it. And if you do feel the nudge to choose differently...even in the smallest way...follow it. Skip the popcorn. This one simple practice will remind you Wear the WILD+New Designs! Sip from the WILD A steady companion for morning rituals. *Your support through these offerings helps keep this work going. I’m honored you’re here on this journey with me. If this Field Notes stirred something in you, I’d love to hear what you’re noticing in your own life right now... Or maybe you’ve had one of those small, almost invisible moments of awareness… If this resonated, hit reply. I’d genuinely love to hear from you. Namaste, P.S. Thank you for being here. 🙏 If you feel called to support this work, you can leave a small tip or contribution here: → [Support the Work] 💌 In case you missed any past Field Notes, you can find the full collection here: → [View them all] |
Rachel Dickson
I’m Rachel Dickson: TEDx speaker, storyteller, and truth-teller exploring what it means to return to your truest self. This is a space for healing, authenticity, and the bold inner work of choosing yourself, unapologetically.
5/28/26 Greetings Adventurers, Jedi Apprentices, Morning Ritualists, Energy Guardians, and Mindful Travelers! Image by Sasin Tipchai on pixabay dot com If you’ve been following this wildhearted work...then you might be picking up on a theme or a trail. Much of this work is linked directly to the Universal Law of Vibration and the knowing that what we think about we bring about….or that our vibration directly affects what we attract into our lives. That said, I’m a big believer in if I’m going...
5/20/26 Greetings Creators, Collaborators, Focus-Finders, Habit-Breakers, and Hope-Bringers! Some dear friends of mine introduced me to the game of pickleball a few years back. And let me just tell you...I fell in love with this game. For so many reasons. Here’s one...deployment of a Jedi practice. For those who may not know: in pickleball, you can only score a point when you’re the server. But here’s the catch—if your serve doesn’t land cross-court inside the correct boundary, it’s a...
4/15/26 Hello Wild Souls, Song-Carriers, Quiet Listeners, and Those Tuning Themselves to What Matters! Image by Kev from Pixabay.com Happy to declare—April is officially my favorite month of the year. Why? Yesterday (and a few days before that), I was serenaded by a Carolina Wren. He perched himself on the top railing of my deck and sang at the top of his lungs. It was mesmerizing… watching the soft feathers on his throat trilling as he called out.He’d sing—then pause, as if listening.Then...