Circles: AI Provides a Life Lesson
Over the last month or so, I have been working more with AI graphics.
I take an idea, framework, bad sketch, or even a written blog post and create a prompt that takes my raw materials and requests an image to represent the thinking.
In the category of what AI continues to need help with…. circles.
I have tried and re-tried.
Explaining EXACTLY what is wrong.
Sometimes it’s really bad – like the image on the left. Sometimes it’s more subtle.
Like the two bottom “circles” in the middle image…they are ovals.
Or the issue with the right image where “physical” isn’t sitting on the circle like the others.
My Perspective
While this is frustrating, I know the models will continue to get better and figure this out.
What was more frustrating to me was how much time I would spend trying to fix it.
The glitch had me “running in circles”. With the middle image above, I spent over ½ hour trying to fix those ovals. Prompting, re-prompting, starting over in a new chat…. nothing worked.
Yet, I couldn’t stop.
Convinced that I could get it right.
This got me wondering where else in my life and work, I’m “running in circles”.
Re-doing / re-trying but not really moving things forward.
Wasting time without making forward progress.
Working toward great when good might be “good enough”.
Do you have this “running in circles” challenge (with AI or in life)? Maybe this week is the time to recognize and stop the loops.
Posts This Week
Reclaim the Word Ambition. There is a lot of discussion about the word ambition and how it is used and misused. This post explores what it is and what could be a healthy reframe.
What is Introversion? There are many ways that introversion can show up and we all live somewhere on the continuum between being introverted and extroverted. This post explores the dimensions.
Do, Don’t Stew. This short post highlights my own form of procrastination and a strategy to stop it.
Succinct. A story that has carried with me throughout my career. I hope it resonates with you.
Relax. We all have a busy life full of never-ending to-do lists. This post reminds us that sometimes we need to just put the list aside and do something we enjoy.
Podcasts That Caught My Attention
This week, the first three podcasts cover careers and stress. The final two are a bit more specific for those in the job search and those starting to look toward retirement. Enjoy!
How to Build a Career You Actually Love. 20 minutes. TED Talks Daily. This talk by author Bill Gurley suggests that fascination, not passion is what drives us to build a career we love. His book is Runnin’ Down a Dream: How to Thrive in a Career You Actually Love
5 Simple Ways to Minimize Stress. 17 minutes. Life Kit. This episode highlights some quick and easy ways to minimize stress tied to Dr. Aditi Nerurkar’s book The 5 Resets: Rewire Your Brain and Body for Less Stress and More Resilience.
The Mental Health Tricks That Actually Work. 27 minutes. The Next Big Idea Daily. This episode is for those struggling with anxiety and overthinking. Providing highlights from 2 books. First, How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay: Tips and Tricks That Kept Me Alive, Happy, and Creative in Spite of Myself by Jenny Lawson. Then, Get Out of My Head: Inspiration for Overthinkers in an Anxious World by Meredith Arthur.
How to Interview a Prospective Employer. 10 minutes. Optimal Work Daily. This podcast explains why we need to shift our perspective from an interview being a one-sided “test” to a two-way “evaluation”. For those currently job searching this could shift how you think about the process.
How to Avoid Early Retirement Failure. 10 minutes. Optimal Finance Daily. I really enjoyed this podcast and how it compares retirement to growing a garden. As retirement gets nearer, it’s important to prune, nurture, and grow into our next chapter.
What Do You Think?
Are you having AI challenges that might be an analogy for other challenges in your life?
How do you frame ambition and what do you think needs to shift?
What ideas did the posts & podcasts spark that you could implement in the week ahead?