The Lines We Draw With AI | More Than Before

The Lines We Draw With AI

I recently started meal prepping…. I don’t mean kind of… I mean macros, meals, counting it all out etc. Ok hold on, I put together the plan, my awesome wife is the one making it happen. That being said, it’s been an interesting experience thus far. This is a side caveat, but when it’s prepared and convenient it’s really not too hard to follow.

I’m full all the time, for the most part, and I am only taking in around 2000 calories a day. It was like pulling teeth to convince myself to do it, as I love chocolate, I love chips, I love everything that is the opposite of healthy.

I’m finding myself more interested in fueling my body than fueling my cravings. I heard something recently…. If you’re eating unhealthy and choose to not control it… it’s selfish. You’re basically not willing to take care of yourself now, and expecting someone else, like your spouse or kids, to take care of you later when things fall apart….

I digress, this actually has nothing to do with this newsletter but it tee’s up a story. I was at a restaurant with a friend of mine and this was only a week into meal prepping and I had not put in an ounce of thought as to how I was going to follow my meal plan while at this restaurant. I was just excited to grab lunch with my friend, chose a semi healthy spot and showed up.

As I’m standing in line I go to Chat GPT (as this is where I built my meal plan) and I quickly asked it to find something on the menu that matched the macros I needed for that days lunch and BOOM…. With in seconds I had ordered something that fit great and I was still on track. Man… A.I. can be super helpful.

I’ve been using A.I…. a lot. Non-stop actually. It’s helped me start businesses, do research for this newsletter, meal prep, tie a Zeppelin Bend Knot…. Yeah that too. It’s got to the point that my wife, Ali, has mentioned she doesn’t like how much my son and I use it. Of course, I brushed that off in the moment but now hind site I realize her intuition always prevails.

I think there is an obvious concern out there as to where AI will take us but that is often at the Macro level. Terminator type stuff. On top of this there has also been a steady stream of concern about the effect of its use in our every day life and I’m now recognizing this in my own personal experiences.

I heard it mentioned recently that all the low level coding positions are now obsolete as they are being replaced by AI. While that might be the case…..what will happen when the professionals age out? There will have been no apprenticeships that learned and grew into the professionals. This analogy is also how you have to look at your own development and use of AI as a whole.

Life is about struggle, it’s about growing through pain. We’ve all heard the mantra that life is not about the destination it’s about the journey. If we use AI all the time, for everything, (and trust me the more you use it…. The more you’ll use it) to skip the journey…. then you will quickly start to skip the “sharpening”. There will be no development of yourself.

Now, there are definitely productive times to use AI to your advantage . Recently my son and I were in deep conversation about this and I looked at him and said we need some guide lines. We need to define when it is and is not ok to use AI. This is not a perfected list, in fact, I’d love feedback from any readers that can add to it. This is what we came up with:

Rule #1: Do I want to learn this? Do I need to learn this? Example: One of the businesses I started required the ability to code. I needed coding…. but did I need to learn it? The answer in reality is “no”. I used AI to code and then hired a professional to take it all the way. Confirm first that it’s something you need to know, and secondly if it’s something you want to learn. Each situation is different so you have to ask these questions.

Rule #2: Is This Making Me Lazy or Leveraged? The path of least resistance often leads to weakness in the long term. If you’re using AI …. when you know you are capable, what will happen to that skillset overtime when it receives no honing?

Rule #3: The Golden Rule: Don’t use AI to communicate when it matters. I get it, the quick work email, it makes sense as we already use templates for automated response. If it’s administrative, to update basic information, go for it.

When it finds its way into the communications that matter, this is where I would halt the use. When you’re having a hard time crafting a difficult response to a loved one. When you don’t know what to say to defuse a situation. These are the times I would steer clear of AI.

Fight through your emotions. Push through the difficult thoughts and stumble over your words. It’s ok. It’s important. When you use AI it allows you to bypass your feelings. When you lean on AI to write for you, it won’t come from your heart. In fact you could use AI to convey a very convincing message that you don’t even believe. Ideally character would keep you from this, but high emotions make people do things they wouldn’t normally do.

As I’m wrapping up my book and hope to publish this year, I’m proud to have had so many people read a snippet and hear them say… I literally am reading this in your voice. It’s like I’m having a conversation with you. That is how I want to communicate. From me… to you.

Today’s Forced Challenge: I want you to FORCE yourself to attack at least one of these challenges:

1: Speak From the Heart: When faced with a difficult conversation this week, resist drafting it in AI first. Say it raw, stumble if you must, and reflect afterward.

2: Creative Constraint: Spend 30 minutes brainstorming business, personal, or creative ideas without AI. Compare what you came up with versus what AI would have suggested.

3: Handcrafted Communication: Write a letter, note, or message by hand to someone who matters. No templates, no edits...just you.

4: Observe Your Crutches: Each time you’re about to use AI this week, pause and ask: am I doing this out of laziness or leverage? Track your answers.

5: Build Without the Shortcut: Create something from scratch (a workout plan, a recipe, a daily schedule) without looking anything up. Then reflect on the experience.

I know this subject is a little different for this newsletter as it has always been tailored towards evergreen material, but AI is probably not going anywhere. Whether you are as deep into AI as I am or just getting started, I wanted to shine some light into where things are going, and guide you away from where I’ve already been.