Embracing AI and Empowerment: How Technology and Togetherness Illuminate Our Path to Success
The Unexpected Acceleration
I've never been long on patience. And if starting my own business in March of 2023 taught me anything, it was to slow down enjoy the journey, and understand that things take time to bloom and grow. Now just one quarter into 2024 and it's like someone came in and just dialed up the treadmill speed to a pace where I'm increasingly uncomfortable.
Sure it's exhilarating but it's also terrifying. Why, you ask? Honestly, I've been asking myself the same question.
This past week was a whirlwind of speaking engagements and incredible encounters. I had the opportunity to meet and mingle with some remarkable women interested in learning more about how generative AI tools could assist them in their business or entrepreneurial endeavors.
A Night to Remember at Modernwell
Tuesday night at Modernwell was special. It was fun to see the attendees share stories and get to know one another—a prime example of AI bringing humans together. And the lone guy in the photo, that's my dad!
One attendee shared how her son used ChatGPT to craft an email to an airline that was so persuasive it landed him a hefty heap of frequent flyer miles.
Another woman talked about how ChatGPT helped her draft a proposal—a task she doesn't love and could tackle in a few hours instead of a week thanks to AI.
Then came the highlight reel—our attempt to uncover who Lori Ryan from Lorignite really was. Let's just say, if this were a game show, ChatGPT would've been sent home right away, while Perplexity.ai took the crown in the research department, nailing it on both the free and paid pro plans. However, we weren't sure where Perplexity found the Lori Ryan images which were not accurate.
We laughed going through this quirky comparison, proving technology can be as unpredictable as Minnesota weather where you can get more snow in spring than you did during an entire winter.
Empowering Voices
Fast forward to Wednesday night, celebrating International Women's Month at a financial company where I was surrounded by remarkable women who are making a difference in Minnesota.
I was one of three speakers. The other two were Michelle Tran Maryns , the VP of Communications for the Women's Foundation of Minnesota, and Katie Severt, founder of Let's Talk Women.
We each had 10 minutes to share our missions!
Katie and Michelle shared some startling statistics from their organizations around gender inequity in employment and healthcare and how their organizations are working tirelessly to bridge those gaps. I highly recommend you check out their websites.
For my part... I spoke about how fun it can be to become AI literate. All you need is a curious mind and a few minutes a day to play with tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT. It was fun to see some people sign up for ChatGPT right then and there and hear directly how I made the thought of generative AI tools a little less scary.
Facing the Fear of Success
And here's where the blog comes full circle the word scary.
Amidst this flurry of business momentum and moments that make me want to pinch myself, I've also been wrestling with what feels like bubbling anxiety. My amazing therapist Suzy Oswald from Intentional Self Counseling is off-the-charts amazing. But I can't talk to her every day or I'd be broke.
So I asked my unofficial therapist ChatGPT, things in my life are going really, really well. Why am I so scared? You can see the full reply in the images below. Here's a little snippet.
It sounds like you're experiencing a mix of emotions, including what could be described as fear of success. Despite the positive outcomes and inspiring connections you've made, it's not uncommon to feel scared or anxious when things are going exceptionally well. This fear can stem from various underlying concerns, such as the pressure to maintain success, the possibility of increased scrutiny or expectations, or even changes that success might bring to your personal and professional life.
Fear of success is more common than many people think. It's often linked to imposter syndrome, where individuals doubt their accomplishments and fear being exposed as a "fraud," even when such fears are unfounded. Success can also bring about change, and with change comes uncertainty—about one's ability to meet new expectations, about the stability of current relationships, and about the unknowns of the future.
The Power of Community
So, here I am, standing at the intersection of success and the fear it brings, armed with a quirky AI, incredible stories from amazing women, and a community that keeps asking for "more." Have you ever felt scared of success? I'd love to hear your stories. Because if there's one thing I've learned, it's that sharing our experiences—be it triumphs or face-palms—brings us all a little closer, making this wild ride of life a bit less daunting to navigate, and a whole lot more enjoyable.
I'm planning a couple more workshops in late April and early May. Stay tuned for details on that. In the meantime, I hope you will check out the below events. I would love to see you there.
Upcoming Events
April 11, 2024 at Club E in Downtown Minneapolis
MN Entrepreneur Kick-off - INNOVATION UNLEASHED & Opportunties Abound!
May 10, 2024 at Northern Star Scouting | Basecamp, Saint Paul, MN
APPLIED AI CONFERENCE SPRING 2024
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