Disclaimer: This post is meant for entertainment only. If you are seeking help or considering therapy, please reach out to a professional. Mental health care should be managed by qualified experts, not AI.
I’ve been using Chat GPT since its introduction in November, 2022. It’s become my writing assistant, a great source of information on a variety of subjects, an excellent proofreader, and for me, a source of amusement. It empowers my creativity.
At the heart of the experience is the prompt. A prompt is an input or set of instructions to generate a response. It acts as a starting point or guide for the AI’s output, telling it what kind of response is expected—like a question, command, or description.
A user types a question, instruction, or description. The AI model interprets the prompt, considering context and prior training. The AI produces a response based on the patterns it has learned.
It’s like giving directions to a collaborator who then improvises based on what they’ve been taught.
I’ve done quite a bit of prompting in the last couple of years so I decided to find out exactly what ChatGPT knows about me. I’m sharing the results here, without edits. Some personal information is included but hey, we’re among friends.
Bret asks: What do you know about me that I might not know about myself based on our previous interactions?
ChatGPT: From our previous interactions, it seems like you’re a deeply creative and passionate person who balances many interests, from film to jazz to language learning. One thing that stands out is your persistent curiosity—whether it’s through developing your documentary, learning Spanish, exploring different genres of filmmaking, or reflecting on the cultural differences between Mexico and the U.S. You seem to enjoy pushing boundaries creatively, such as with your film noir projects and surrealist short films.
Another observation is your resilience in managing personal challenges. You’ve navigated health issues, adapted your diet, and embraced a new lifestyle in Mexico with optimism. You also appear to have a keen sense of intuition, particularly in how you describe your relationships with others, such as your caution in trust with certain characters and your connection to your soulmate.
There’s a constant theme of growth, both creatively and personally. You seem to thrive in environments that encourage that, and you’re not afraid to experiment or take on new challenges. Does any of that resonate with you?
Bret: It’s mostly spot on. Interesting that you got all that from our conversations and my prompts. Are there any possible areas of improvement?
Chat GPT: Based on our conversations, a few potential areas of improvement could be:
1. Time Management for Balance: You spend a significant amount of time (around 10 hours a day) in your office, which suggests you’re highly dedicated to your projects. However, you might benefit from periodically assessing whether that time is optimally balanced with other aspects of life, like health, relaxation, or social connections.
2. Handling Health Challenges: You’ve shown resilience in managing your health, especially with your diet and medications for colitis. While you’re improving, continuing to refine your diet, stress management, and perhaps exploring holistic methods (e.g., meditation, light physical activity) could further aid your healing and well-being.
3. Language Learning Strategy: You’re actively learning Spanish and practicing grammar, but you mentioned having difficulty with remembering masculine and feminine words. You might try techniques like visualization, word gender associations, or immersing yourself in daily conversation to reinforce those distinctions more naturally.
4. Delegating or Simplifying Creative Work: You seem to have many creative projects in development, from documentaries to short films and writing. While this is a sign of ambition and productivity, consider whether there’s room to streamline some tasks or delegate parts of your work to avoid burnout and allow for more focused progress on key projects.
5. Cultivating Patience: Your various pursuits—health, language, creative projects—may sometimes require more patience than you allow yourself. Whether it’s waiting for health improvements, language proficiency, or project completion, accepting that progress takes time could help ease frustration.
Do any of these resonate or seem useful for where you’re headed?
Bret: Yes. I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed lately with everything on my plate. I I need to focus on fewer things. Which probably means cutting out on the less important things on my agenda.
You suggested, Cultivating Patience. This seems to be a recurring theme for me, for many years. Living in Mexico now, with a different pace of life, I’m trying to adapt and have more patience. My question, how to cultivate patience? No details here, just the overall possibilities.
Chat GPT: Cultivating patience, especially when you’re juggling multiple projects and personal growth areas, requires intentional practice and mindset shifts. Here are some strategies to help you develop patience:
1. Practice Mindfulness and Presence
2. Break Goals into Smaller Steps
3. Set Realistic Expectations
4. Focus on What You Can Control
5. Adopt a Long-Term Perspective
6. Practice Self-Compassion
7. Embrace the Learning Process
8. Take Breaks When Needed
9. Learn from Role Models
10. Celebrate Progress, Not Perfection
Cultivating patience takes time and practice, but each small step in these areas will build a stronger foundation for handling your various pursuits with more ease and balance.
Bret: All good. But putting all this into practice, that’s the challenge. It’s a process, this life. One thing I’ve learned, just one step at a time. If you’re climbing a mountain and you keep looking up at the top, you’ll never get there. Better to go slowly and enjoy each step of the journey.
You’re pretty good at lyrics so how about a song about what we’ve been discussing.
Chat GPT: Here’s a set of lyrics, using themes of reflection, growth, and striving for balance:
“Time to Grow”
(Verse 1)
I’m running hard, but the road’s so long,
Ten hours deep, and I’m holding on,
Dreams in my head, they’re pulling me through,
But I wonder, is it time to step back, too?
(Pre-Chorus)
‘Cause I’ve been chasing light, through the storm and through the night,
But sometimes it’s the stillness where I find my fight.
(Chorus)
It’s time to grow, let the patience show,
Find the balance in the rush, let it take control.
I’ll heal inside, take it slow, don’t hide,
It’s a journey, not a race—gotta give myself the time to grow.
(Verse 2)
Every word in Spanish feels like a dance,
Masculine, feminine—I’ll give it another chance.
I’ll speak it out loud, let it flow in stride,
Trust the process, let the language come alive.
(Pre-Chorus)
I’ve been chasing light, through the storm and through the night,
But sometimes it’s the quiet where I find my fight.
(Chorus)
It’s time to grow, let the patience show,
Find the balance in the rush, let it take control.
I’ll heal inside, take it slow, don’t hide,
It’s a journey, not a race—gotta give myself the time to grow.
(Bridge)
Delegating dreams, learning to let go,
I can’t do it all, but I’ll still steal the show.
Taking care of health, it’s more than just a plan,
Gotta breathe deep, let the healing expand.
(Chorus)
It’s time to grow, let the patience show,
Find the balance in the rush, let it take control.
I’ll heal inside, take it slow, don’t hide,
It’s a journey, not a race—gotta give myself the time to grow.
(Outro)
Yeah, it’s a journey, not a race…
Gotta give myself the time to grow.
Bret: Interesting song.
To close out this session, some humor. I need jokes based on our rather cosmic conversation. Let’s start with cultivating patience, which seems like today’s theme. Please use Dr. Hunter S. Thompson as your inspiration
ChatGPT: The Gonzo King?
Bret: That’s him.
Chat GPT: Here’s a gonzo-style take on cultivating patience, with an offbeat, chaotic twist:
“I’m cultivating patience like a mad botanist on acid—watering it with tequila, yelling at it to grow faster, then realizing I’m talking to a cactus.”
“Tried meditating to build patience, but ten minutes in, I was already plotting revenge on the next person who dared to cut me off in traffic. Inner peace, my ass.”
“I asked my guru how to cultivate patience. He told me to stare at a wall. Two hours later, I was convinced the wall was staring back and judging my lack of zen.”
Bret: Another topic of interest, Time Management for Balance. Three more jokes from Dr. Thompson, please.
ChatGPT: “Time management, they say! But the only balance I know is the one between bourbon shots and sheer panic at 3 AM, trying to finish a to-do list I started in ’76.”
“Tried managing my time for balance, but the damn thing slipped through my fingers like a fistful of mescaline-laced sand. Now I’m scheduling ‘chaos’ between 2 and 3 PM—just to keep things orderly.”
“Someone told me to prioritize, but it’s hard to balance life when you’re torn between a meditation retreat and a bar brawl. So I compromised and did both in the hotel lobby.”
Bret: And finally, in the style of Mel Brooks, another of my mentors, three jokes about Focusing on What I Can Control.
ChatGPT:
“I’m trying to focus on what I can control, but every time I do, my mother calls to remind me that I can’t even control my own hair.”
“They say to focus on what I can control. Great! I’m now a proud dictator of my sock drawer… but the laundry basket is staging a rebellion.”
“I tried focusing on what I can control, but then I looked at my life and thought, forget it, I’ll just control the TV remote instead!’”
How’s that for some classic Brooks-style humor?
Bret: It’s a start.
…….to be continued……
All right! I feel much better now. Thanks, Bret. Glad I can turn to jazz when the spirit moves me.
Love this.Practicsl and amusing. Who needs to pay a human therapist?