Because I fell off the mainstream tracks to success - I’ve gained a perspective - that can honor and respect weird paths to success. Don’t get me wrong, I admire anyone who found a way to live a life they want to be living. I would just like more people to find a path that not only earns them more than a living wage - but fills their heart with zest, and guides their thoughts to align with their deep values.
If at this point in your life - you have to be having a good day - to get things done, then the cookie cut strategies to get all you want for life might not work for you.
And if you are lucky and feel you are on track to great success - you might have a friend who doesn’t get your eat the frog/do the hard things, just do it, work harder & hustle more, or plan it, strategies.
The Puzzle
When you work with a brain that makes doing things hard - I hope you can give yourself more grace and seriously celebrate any day a few of the puzzle pieces seem to match the picture of the image you want for your life.
This might be hard to understand if you look at your life, and you think, I want to get a promotion at work, and you don’t see a puzzle at all - it just looks like a series of steps on an instruction list to get the outcome you want. The challenge comes in - when on some days - the struggle isn’t task 7, its how to begin work on tasks at all. Like, how to get out of bed when you feel terrible?
If you’ve ever struggled to get out of bed, I’m curious if you also feel like the puzzle keeps changing. The pieces morph their shape, the images shift. And the things that seemed like a good idea - or would be easier to to tomorrow (yesterday) - just are not today.
I used to beat myself up for this kind of thinking in the past. Today - I see them as normal thoughts. (The book: The confidence gap by Russ Harris helped with this) And sometimes I am able to break the connection these thoughts hold on me & I’m able to act my way into a more “workable” action that aligns with values.
It may be just a difference from thinking about doing - to practicing being.
Change Your Prompt - Change your life
The history of computation and AI follows the path of mimicking the skills of the human mind. It would make sense then, that if you change the prompts you give your mind you could change the thoughts generated - and if done in a certain way - those thoughts create actions & behaviors that hold the power to improve your life.
Are you using Prompts - to guide your thinking and actions in the direction you want your life to be going?
Looking forward, what’s one small change you can make today that aligns more closely with your core values?
What values do You hold most dear, and how have your recent actions reflected these values?
When have You felt most fulfilled or satisfied with your life, and what were You doing at that time?
What are the activities or pursuits that make You lose track of time?
Who are the people that inspire You the most, and what qualities do they possess that You aspire to develop in yourself?
How do You respond to failure or setbacks, and what can You learn from these experiences to grow stronger?
What are the things You’re most grateful for, and how do You express this gratitude?
How do You recharge and nurture your mental, physical, and spiritual health?
What new skills or knowledge do You wish to acquire, and what steps are You taking to achieve this?
How do You get creative and practice in the different areas of your life, and does this focus reflect your true values?
In what ways can You create more meaningful connections with those around You?
Before we go our separate ways, I’ll share with you the message - I like to share with all the people I encounter who struggle to make a little more sense of life and seek a way to make it better.
You are not alone.
I struggle, all of my friends struggle. The clients I serve struggle. Life can be tough and daunting, I believe that our struggle matters. I believe that there will come a moment in our futures where someone we care about will be lost in the darkness of their souls. It is our struggles that will give us the power to sit with someone in pain and empathize with their situation, and listen as they struggle to find their path to make life more meaningful, less painful, or at the very least a little less lonely.
Yeah man! I love the overlap between prompt engineering and personal growth. Makes me also think of ways we can engineer consequences for ourselves that facilitate our growth and our learning.
like the partner of someone saying, if you don't finish a manuscript of the book before October 15th, 2024, you're going to write a $2000 check to the political candidate that you despise.
That manuscript got finished.