ChatGPT and Me

How hanging out with AI got me thinking ...

So the Covid enquiry continues and it’s been said that Boris ‘didn’t have the right skill set’ to manage the pandemic. If that’s the case, what was he doing putting himself forward for Prime Minister? Surely leadership of a country, or even any type of leadership for that matter, requires ability-to-make-decisions-under- pressure skills? Let’s not open that can of worms. But it got me thinking. Do you know your skill set? Do you know your gifting? Do I know mine?

Working outside of your gifting often results in burnout

Unless you’re in a corporation that values identifying skills, which isn’t all of them by a long shot, I think it’s something that’s still far from our vernacular. I spent a few years living and working in an American culture in Amsterdam in the 90s and came across language such as ‘skill set’ and the concept of ‘working within your gifting’. Furthermore, there was a great understanding of fulfilment, and how if someone worked outside of their gifting, they were more likely to suffer burnout and poor mental health.

We need to be fed, not just physically, but on other levels too - emotionally, mentally and spiritually. So if you consider the amount of hours we put into our working lives, if they don’t feed us, the opposite can happen. We could feel drained, unmotivated, lacklustre, and without purpose. If we are working a job outside of our skill set or not aligned with our natural gifting, it will take a monumental amount of effort to keep doing it year in and year out.

Realistically, we won’t always have the opportunity to realise our natural gifting within our workplace fully, but that’s ok because how we frame it also helps. It might be that if there’s no option for change, we can look at it as serving a purpose which fulfils a greater need. And that can be as simple as paying the bills. If this is the case, it’s even more important to make sure we are utilising our unique gifts and skills in our personal time because that is what will feed our souls.

I’ve been hanging out with ChatGPT

But it’s definitely something worth considering. Following on from my last entry, I’ve been reflecting on exactly this. I was hanging out with ChatGPT over the weekend (really, it’s quite fun) and ran this idea past it, asking it to help me decipher my skill set. ‘Chat’ (we’re on first-name terms now) came back to me with the suggestion of finding my unique qualities in the following ways, some of which were really quite insightful:

• Self Reflection

  • What are your life experiences, interests and values?

  • What activities make you feel alive and fulfilled

  • Reflect on a moment when you felt ‘most like you’

• Strengths and Weaknesses

  • What are you great at? Understanding strengths can help derive uniqueness

  • What do others appreciate about you?

  • What do you struggle with?

• Feedback

  • What words and phrases do others use to describe you? The impact you have on others can be a valuable indicator of your unique qualities

• Life stories

  • What obstacles have you overcome, and what lessons have you learned?

• Passions

  • What activities do you constantly engage with when not obligated to?

• Values

  • What principles guide your decisions and actions? Your core values play a significant role in defining your uniqueness.

• Skills and Talents

  • What are you naturally good at?

  • How do you stand out in your abilities?

• Aspirations

  • What are your long-term dreams and ambitions? These can shed light on your distinctive qualities.

• Who inspires you?

  • What qualities do they have that mirror yours?

I definitely think asking these questions periodically in order to have a little life audit is a great way to decide if we’re on the right track or if we want to make some changes in life.

I was back on BBC Radio this week and remembered how much I love the intimacy of it. So one of the things I’m trying to figure out is what to do with the podcast. I miss it, but it’s a lot of work and hugely time-consuming. Do I pick it up again, or do I move forward with something else? With children off at university now, I’ve got some head space which allows me to be creative and make some changes. I’ve not got the answers yet, but these questions have been really helpful in the process. Thanks Chat!

So, whether or not Boris had the right skill set might be important for him to figure out as he moves across to GB News, and while I figure out what my next steps are going to be, how about you? Why not give some of these questions a go and see what comes up? I’d love to hear how you get on and which of the questions above made you think the most!

In the meantime, I hope you have a fabulous week and find something that feeds your soul!

Much love,

Pipa x