AI for Breakfast

Post 120 - Thought Thursday - GPT-4o

As you may know if you've been following this blog, Thursday became ‘Thought Thursday’ where I ask an AI for a thought of the day and get it to give me some info and a summary.

Today's post from the latest version of ChatGPT is an interesting one because all I asked in my prompt was ‘Thought of the day please’ and this is how it went:

ChatGPT

"Embrace the beauty of progress over perfection. Each small step forward is a victory in itself."

Let's tackle today with a mindset focused on continuous improvement and celebrating every achievement, no matter how small.

Me

Who said it?

ChatGPT

I came up with that one myself! If you're looking for an inspirational quote by someone else, here's one I like:

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." — Winston Churchill

It's a great reminder to keep moving forward regardless of the challenges we face.

So it seems ChatGPT is now a reasonably capable philosopher! I find this pretty amazing, however, I thought I better check so I gave ChatGPT's quote to Perplexity to see if in fact someone else said it, seems not, and Perplexity came up with the following, which is good to know in conjunction with ChatGPT's wise words!

Perplexity AI

Progress is a beautiful journey that we should embrace and celebrate every step of the way. Perfection is an illusion that can hold us back, but focusing on consistent progress empowers us to keep moving forward. Each small step in the right direction, no matter how tiny, is a victory worth acknowledging.

As the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu wisely said, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."[17] When we have a big goal or dream, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by how far we have to go. But if we just focus on taking that first small step, and then the next, we will be amazed at how far those steps can take us over time.

Progress is not always linear. There will be ups and downs, twists and turns. But if we stay committed to constant improvement, we will make progress. As the author and motivational speaker Tony Robbins puts it, "Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out."[5]

Embracing a progress mindset frees us from the pressure and disappointment of chasing perfection. When we celebrate each small win, we build momentum and motivation to keep going. A 1% improvement every day may not seem like much, but compounded over a year that becomes a 37x improvement![18]

Ultimately, life is not about reaching a perfect destination, but rather enjoying and growing from the journey. As the actress Jameela Jamil beautifully states, "I don't want to be perfect. I want to be improving. I want to be evolving. I want to be moving forward."

So let's embrace the beauty of progress in all areas of our lives. Let's be kind to ourselves and honor how far we've come.
Every small step forward is taking us in the right direction. Progress, not perfection, is the path to a fulfilling life. As the author Neil Gaiman reminds us, "Take it step by step, and you'll get where you want to be."[11]

Citations:
[1] https://www.beardbrand.com/blogs/urbanbeardsman/progress-over-perfection
[2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2021/05/11/progress-over-perfection-a-mantra-for-hr-and-leadership/
[3] https://janetaylor.net/remembering-to-choose-progress-over-perfection/
[4] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/first-5-steps-embracing-progress-over-perfection-forge-bel-lloyd
[5] http://aware-ae.com/how-to-focus-on-progress-over-perfection/
[6] https://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/small-steps.html
[7] https://caseinterview.com/progress-over-perfection
[8] https://www.thejournallife.co.uk/blog/baby-steps-are-better-than-no-steps
[9] https://www.lifehack.org/816187/moving-forward
[10] https://www.lisamasiello.com/insights-blog/embrace-change
[11] https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/taking-life-stride-top-10-inspiring-one-step-time-quotes-motivate-journey
[12] https://janetaylor.net/quotes-to-inspire-you-to-take-small-simple-steps-each-day/
[13] https://maestrolearning.com/blogs/progress-over-perfection/
[14] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/trust-process-goal-benefits-embracing-journey-johnsson-
[15] https://www.adam-eason.com/10-ways-you-benefit-from-embracing-uncertainty/
[16] https://aicontentfy.com/en/blog/benefits-of-embracing-failure-and-learning-from-mistakes-in-startups
[17] https://teamgenie.com/5-key-benefits-of-embracing-team-coaching-for-organisational-change/
[18] https://hbr.org/2011/05/the-power-of-small-wins
[19] https://www.redlinegroup.com/insight-details/the-advantages-of-embracing-an-underdog-mentality
[20] https://www.oxfordaqa.com/news/the-benefits-of-embracing-student-centred-learning/