The Importance of Taking a Break

Have you ever pressed the pause button in your life? Where you have slowed down and concentrated on what genuinely matters, such as your personal life, family, and friends??

For me, it was the time between exiting (partially, but I mentioned that already in my previous post) my former business, 11Sigma, and exploring a new one. It happened around mid-2022, the year that started with a terror of war when Russia invaded Ukraine and continued with a global inflation rally and a serious economic crisis.

Finding Joy in Simplicity: Lessons Learned from a Crisis

As you can imagine, it wasn't necessarily a vacation, but rather a chance to reconsider my values and try to find a balance. I vividly remember February and what happened later. The dread and horror, the absolute shift in everyone’s focus and disbelief. We were actually preparing for the worst and we even packed ourselves in two backpacks to be ready if must act quickly. I recall my discussions with my wife about the things we should pack. It was just basic stuff to survive and some, but really very little, memorabilia such as a photo of my child, my wife, and my parents. Everything else, all the objects we collected and that clutter our home started to seem pointless and useless. We realized most of them don’t matter and we don’t need them, they simply get in our way.

This break, against the odds, gave me also something incredibly valuable. It gave me a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with my 2-year-old daughter and, for once, focus on the simple things in life. We would take leisurely walks to the local market, pick up ingredients, and prepare home-cooked meals together. We would often hop on a bike and take a slow ride to the beach, where we built sand castles and dug deep wells. I'll also never forget the look of joy on her face the first time we rode a train together on a day trip to her grandparents.

Finding Clarity Through Crisis: A Journey of Self-Discovery

It was also a period of reflection, where I researched what I wanted to do next in my career. I considered starting a new startup, consulting, or changing my career path altogether. I even thought about starting a gardening business or studying psychology, something I've always been interested in.

But most importantly, it was a time of personal growth. I got back to a regular meditation and yoga practice, and I began to understand my own emotions, desires, patterns, fears, and all those things that make us human. It wasn't an easy journey, and it took a lot of effort to begin to see myself.

I clearly recall one occasion when I practiced late-night meditation. I was experiencing a lot of anxiety that day. Yet after a while of sitting there, I was eventually able to “lower my guards” and then felt truly appreciative of the things around me and where I was. I looked at the simple objects around me, our furniture, my hands, and most importantly my wife and daughter sleeping calmly in their beds. I felt I don’t really need much more.

The AI Revolution: Navigating a Future of Unknowns and Opportunities

As I pondered the rapid changes in the world, I realized we're entering a completely new era. Mass adoption of AI tools like Midjourney and ChatGPT is just the beginning. I started to envision the next 10 years and questioned many of the things we take for granted today. Then came the layoffs at large scale in some of the biggest companies. The mix of AI, war, economic crisis, and post-pandemic changes made me wonder that perhaps, for some of the people in my industry, this was their last job. I know it’s hyperbolic but I couldn’t resist worrying about what people would do if AI can already do so much.? What will be important in life if AI can take care of everything else? Relationships, friends, and emotions will be important, but how do we deal with them?

I stay optimistic about the future but recognize that there are many unknowns. Programming, marketing, writing, and art - all could be done by AI in the upcoming decade. Generative art could allow us to create games and music simply by speaking our desires. But what will make us unique as humans? Perhaps it's our biological nature and our emotions.

I see an opportunity in the change and want to approach it with curiosity and excitement, rather than fear or regret. It's a fascinating future, but it's also a bit scary to imagine. Who will control AI, and what will people do? What's the future for our children and their generation? These are all questions that I think about often these days.

As I look ahead to the future, I am both thrilled and apprehensive about the possibilities that lie ahead. The mass adoption of AI tools has already begun to change the world in significant ways, and I believe that the next decade will bring even more revolutionary advancements.

In the next post, I will share with you my exciting plans for a new venture that will harness the power of AI to transform the world in ways that we cannot yet imagine. But for now, I will leave you with this thought: the future belongs to those who are bold enough to embrace change and are willing to take risks. I invite you to join me on this journey and be a part of creating a better future for us all.

#ai #chatgpt #openai #midjourney #entrepreneurship #business

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This post and all visuals are a result of a collaboration between a human and an AI. All ideas and content were generated by a human, while the AI-assisted with the writing process. The information presented here is carefully crafted and checked for accuracy.

The entire series:

1. Back in Business - a new tale begins
2. The Importance of Taking a Break
3. Boldly Venturing into the AI Frontier: Are You Ready to Join Us?