Sonja the Grey

Category: Uncategorized

  • AI & Mindset: “You’re Not Good Enough”​

    AI & Mindset: “You’re Not Good Enough”​

    One of the most important mindset blocks you could possibly work on in the coming years is that voice that says “you’re not good enough.”

    We’re on the edge of a big shift. Software is getting an overhaul, as AI gets integrated into more and more tools, and as new tools spring out of AI.

    We’re going to see an explosion of tools in the next few years. Digital helpers of every type.

    And they’re going to be good at what they do. Really good.

    Nay-sayers right now are like, “eh, it’s not very good at [insert whatever topic here]. Look how basic these answers are,” or “yeah but people won’t know what to ask,” or “the human interaction is irreplaceable.”

    But this isn’t like software of olden days (like last year 😅). Software development has historically always been more or less limited to the speed of the humans who can improve the code.

    But AI can help improve itself. And last I checked, computers are kinda fast at shit like that.

    Which means, AI’s answers will improve.

    Tools will be created on top of the AI, to help people ask better questions.

    … the human interaction … is actually partly replaceable. (I know, cringe, lies, but before you rage-toss your phone…) Have you ever bonded with a teddy bear? Have you ever deeply loved and cared for a teddy bear? Felt like it had a personality? Felt like you understood each other? And what if that teddy bear could talk to you? Could comfort you? Could engage with you with actual words?

    There will be a human element that will always be important. But we’re going to see software growth like we’ve never experienced.

    And it’s going to be better at all the things that we are.

    Which means … we need to lean in to not knowing.

    We’ve spent at least the last 40 years or so, putting a high premium on information knowledge and efficiency. We need to let go of that premium.

    We need to be okay being WRONG, ffs.

    So, how to do that, because easier said than done, right? Here are some ideas. (And maybe ChatGPT has some better ones. 😅)

    Celebrate when you notice yourself being unsure. Literally give yourself a little cheer and say “yay! I have no idea what’s going on!” Celebrating those moments creates safety. Creating safety around those moments allows them to feel safer in the future.

    Explore ways you can use some of these tools that will soon be smarter than you. What would you build, what would you do if you had a sidekick who knew everything? That sidekick is coming. Practice dreaming of those possibilities.

    And practice going slow. I just got off a call for an AI course I’m helping run, and I had to go sit on the cement outside my door and just … not move for a few minutes. It wasn’t about connecting to the earth, or finding my oneness with nature or whatever else (I’m sure those things were happening, those aren’t my words or my focus).

    It was just about being warm and sitting tf still. It was about touching this hot, flat, boring slab of concrete that doesn’t move or think or react (…yet. lol?).

    So. Let yourself suck at stuff. Let yourself move slower than the things around you. Celebrate it. Enjoy it. In some ways, that could be the goal of all these advancements … not to produce more, but to BE more, and to DO less.

    Wouldn’t it be amazing if AI let us balance out.

  • Weekend Energy Forecast – July 25-26

    The moon is connected to our feelings, our sense of meaning, our “why.” Not only does it impact who we are when we’re born, but it also has an impact on our day to day experience. These energies move through us like a background beat, and the same beat is there for all of us.​ We won’t all experience them in the same way – your chart, your Human Design authority and strategy, all impact how these energies might impact you. 

    Sometimes having access to this can help you execute your decisions more smoothly (more on this below). Sometimes, just knowing others are feeling the same is enough, too.​ 

    Hexagram 50 – The Cauldron.
    Outline used in the creation of this image is by Ben Finney

    ​THE ENERGY 7/25-26

    (All times U.S. Central)

    4:21 AM (Saturday) – 1:46 PM “What Has Been Spoiled / Decay” ䷑

    Old difficulties may come to the forefront during this time. An old struggle may reappear, either with others or within yourself. You may find that you feel stuck, frustrated. Look for a new perspective. Don’t rush it. Lean on your intuition to locate the issue, not your rational mind.​

    1:46 PM – 11:10 PM “The Well” ䷯

    Continue to tune in to your inner knowing, either through inner guidance or utilizing outer tools like tarot, runes, I Ching, etc. The clarity is available here, do not allow the distractions from others muddy up the “well” of knowing. If others are giving you trouble during this time, remember they have their own clear waters, and speak to that when you can.​

    11:10 PM – 8:37 AM (Sunday) “The Gentle” ䷸

    Stay the course, but be gentle with yourself and others. High-energy action may create sudden change but is unsustainable. Consistency and subtlety matter most in your success.​

    8:37 AM – 6:05 PM “Duration” ䷟

    Hold steady. A change may be happening, or about to. Stay the course with your own inner knowing. Stick with what is true. Hold on to what you know is right for you, and allow the world to change around you.

    6:05 PM – “The Cauldron” ䷱

    You may find yourself getting spun up in arrogance, irritation, frustration, greed, worry, anxiety. See if you can release these to get back in touch with your aligned knowing. When you settle your mind and breathe, you may find you can see your way through to the success you need at this time.​​ There is an alchemy to this hexagram – what you’ve been working on is ready to come forward. 

    🔮🔮🔮​

    About the Energy of the Moon and Decision Making

    Daily energy is like background music. Your inner wisdom, your Human Design authority and strategy should still be guiding your decisions. Being aware of these energies can help you navigate your choices more smoothly

    This Weekend’s Example

    Let’s say you have a frustrating encounter with a family member. Knowing that this energy is in the air, if you were going to let the above information drive your decisions, you might be inclined to give up and avoid the conflict – even though your own knowing was telling you that you needed to work things out. Instead, utilizing the energy of “Decay,” it may help to stop and breathe, remember that there’s some tough energy this weekend, and then look to see, how might there be a miscommunication? What am I not appreciating about what this other person is saying to me? What is their need right now? What is my need right now? Identify the issue, and navigate through it.​ Don’t shove through (“The Gentle”), look to empathy to help guide your way through the conversation. Stay connected to your inner wisdom. This is the main course – the energy is like the seasoning for this weekend. 

    🔮🔮🔮​

    COMING SOON 

    New – Birth charts! 

    I’m currently developing a system incorporating elements from I Ching, Tarot, Human Design and Astrology, to bring you a new natal chart for examining your “why,” while also looking at what rules you live by, how you best spend your energy, as well as how best to refuel. 

    Early testing has been AMAZING and I can’t wait to get this out to the public. Early bird pricing will be available to the mailing list first, so stay tuned, and please share with anyone who might be interested. 

    Stay safe out there, 

    Sonja

    Sonja the Grey

  • It’s Not Worth Your Life

    My friend’s tears weren’t too unusual on this topic.

    “It’s awful,” she said, as I listened to her heart sink to the floor. “My manager is always hounding me about deadlines I’m missing because I have too much work to do. My coworker is a jerk, but I have no one to tell when we don’t have HR, besides my manager says it’s my fault. It’s so frustrating, I hate it there.”

    After a bit, I said, “Wow, that’s all so hard. Are you going to look for a new job?”

    She blinked at me. “Oh, no I couldn’t. I’ve invested so much in this place, and there’s that promotion in 6 months, I might get it this time. And the benefits here are really good, I’m not sure what I would do without them.”

    My friend (we’ll call her Blue) was being hit by a double-whammy of psychological effects.

    Photo by Caleb George on Unsplash


    1/ The “sunk cost fallacy”

    It’s when you continue forward with something because you’ve invested in it, whether that investment was time, money, or effort. Or, to put it another way, we’re afraid that we wasted our resources if we walk away now.

    You can logic your way through it, as we often do. “If I leave now, what was it all for?” Or, “If I get that promotion then maybe it’ll be worth it.”

    You tell yourself this even when you’ve been passed over for the promotion before. Or even when you’ve seen your awful coworkers treat other higher-ups the same way.

    I mean, you’ve seen it, or done it – you eat the second half of the bag of chips when you’re already full. You bought them, after all, and you “wouldn’t want them to go to waste.” (You may even hear that in your mom’s voice as you eat the last few chips.) But what good is it doing you when you’re already full?

    Sunk-cost fears crop up all over our decisions. Think about clothes, pen sets, sports supplies … jobs, houses, relationships. It’s everywhere.

    The secret to undoing the sunk cost fallacy is to understand it. To recognize it when it happens, and then consider whether you are genuinely invested in continuing forward, or whether it’s time to drop that job and find somewhere that you’re respected.
    But, when you’re evaluating, don’t get trapped in Blue’s second psychological effect …

    2/ The “endowment effect”

    Remember that time your friend went to throw away that thing you love, and you snatched it out of her hands and said, “no wait! That’s that thing I love!” and she looked at you like maybe you’d left a marble in the jar?

    This is the “endowment effect.” It’s when you ascribe additional value to something because you own it.

    Sometimes, of course, there’s a genuine attachment that even Marie Kondo wouldn’t argue with. But sometimes … can you really explain your attachment to that doodad in the corner that’s there because it’s been there for a year? Yeah, it was cool how you got it, but do you really care anymore? And would you buy it again?

    Blue got caught in the endowment effect when she over-valued her current position over the possibility of another job. In a country like ours, benefits are super important and typically attached to your job. But she hadn’t even looked. She had no idea what sort of benefits she would get at another company.

    When you can’t let go, ask yourself if you’re caught up in worry over lost time, money, or effort, and (without blame or shame) ask yourself if it’s worth more time, money, or effort to stay. Is it worth what you’ve put into it.

    And if the answer is no, it’s time to go.

    If you’re exhausted from burnout but aren’t sure what to do to fix it, I have a workbook that will help you. Check it out here at: https://www.decodingjoy.com/burnout-direct

    Sonja