Throughout our careers, Don Tomoff, MBA, and I have prioritized and felt responsible, as part of our leadership goals, for developing the people we work with daily. How can we help others grow through micro-moments of engaging in a learning opportunity and pausing for 5 or 10 minutes to slow down and talk through a challenge or difficult concept?
Over time, everyone becomes stronger as the learning moments compound and then build exponentially over the long haul. Too often, we rush through our days, exclaiming (unfortunately, often proudly), “I am busy! I have too much to do to allow the luxury of slowing down to prioritize learning.” This is shortsighted and a colossal mistake.
Seth Godin recently released a Udemy course, “This is Strategy with Seth Godin.” In Lesson 27, “Toward a Strategic Practice,” he challenges us to think about how we spend our professional time. “We only get today once. It is the asset that each of us gets to deploy onceโtoday. Is it possible to develop a practice of being strategic?”
Seth argues that there are three choices for how we spend our time at work:
* ๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ธ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ (most people) that can possibly be outsourced.
* ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ. We can be writing specs and managing people who are following the specs (outsourcing possible – not done often enough).
* ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ. “To confront resistance. To become incompetent in the face of learning.” When we lean into these moments (maybe 5 minutes a day), we are truly being strategic.
Exerting emotional labor is the most important work. This is the 5 or 10 minutes that Don and I frequently encourage and challenge others to embrace the discomfort of learning something new. ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ง๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ค๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐ฎ. Pictured below is a moment of celebration of learning with a previous coworker. Helping others enhance their skills is very gratifying!
2019 – Don and Bill Tomoff with coworker celebrating a learning session!Continual Education – 5 Hour Rule (Compounding impact)
There are differing thoughts on how much our personal and professional lives should be balanced. I have evolved through my career to firmly believe in “Work/life integration” vs. “Work/life balance.” The conversation and prevalence of integrating our work and personal lives have been more acutely discussed since the escalation of remote work resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic starting in 2020. In my life, work/life integration was the key to my survival. My son Ryan’s diagnosis of childhood cancer in 1996 demanded a personal commitment and an understanding from my employers and colleagues that is unthinkable in most professional environments. Yet, I was profoundly blessed to have the necessary professional support to survive personally and professionally.
A byproduct of the support I received was that In my leadership roles, I have always sought to understand that we all have stories and challenges in our lives that no one knows about. Caring about others and the macro-level demands they are facing in their lives is an intelligent business strategy, but more importantly, it is the right thing to do. We all are in this life together. In my in-person and social media interactions, I strive to understand the “complete person” regarding their interests, personality, and demands outside their professional roles. A resulting benefit is the building of more productive and genuine relationships. This is the world I want to live in.
As you will note in my blog posts, I fully embrace and share my life experiences. These experiences have shaped me into the person I am today, and they enhance my personal and professional lives.
Through my blog at BillTomoff (dot) com, I have written 71 blog posts from 2017 through July 1, 2024. I share personal and professional thoughts and am interested in helping others. The posts have been compiled in a PDF document, and then I collaborated with Claude AI to summarize “my story” based on my blog content. Anyone desiring to learn more about me could gain insight into my interests, expertise, and personal beliefs (i.e., let’s be kind to each other), and my style may resonate with others. These are the people I want in my tribe to engage and collaborate with!
#TwinzTalk Encouragement – Always be learning and do your best!
Below are my prompt and Claude AI’s [edited] response. Claude did an incredible job providing me with content to start working with. The summary shared is the essence of my life and beliefs, which I am dedicated to living and practicing for the rest of my life.
Prompt:
“Please read and review the attached PDF of blog posts. You are an expert ghostwriter, and I would like you to tell me what is important to the author based on his writing content. Take a deep breath and take your time responding.”
Response:
“Based on a thorough review of the blog posts, here are some key themes and values that appear to be important to the author, Bill Tomoff:
Personal Growth and Continuous Learning: The author emphasizes personal development, lifelong learning, and consistent dedication to improving oneself. He regularly encourages reading, attending courses, and seeking new knowledge.
Family: Family is a central priority for the author. Many posts reference his wife Terri, son Ryan, daughter Olivia, and twin brother Don. His family’s journey through his son’s cancer diagnosis and five-time cancer battles and treatment has profoundly shaped his worldview.
Resilience and Post-Traumatic Growth: The author often discusses the concept of growing stronger through adversity, particularly with his son’s cancer experience. He believes in the possibility of emerging from difficult experiences as an improved, kinder, and more compassionate person.
Kindness and Compassion: Treating others with gentleness and kindness is a recurring theme. The author frequently encourages readers to be tolerant, patient, and understanding of others, as everyone is fighting their own battles.
Gratitude: The author emphasizes the importance of a grateful outlook on life, even during challenging times.
Time Management and Prioritization: Many posts discuss the importance of using time wisely, focusing on what truly matters, and learning to say no to less important commitments.
Stoicism: The author frequently references Stoic philosophy and its principles, which he strives to apply to challenges in his daily life.
Helping Others: There’s a strong emphasis on using one’s skills and experiences to benefit others, whether through professional work, volunteering, or everyday interactions. “We rise by lifting others.”
Technology and Innovation: The author and his twin are passionate about leveraging technology to enhance personal and professional effectiveness and create a greater possibility of making a more significant contribution to the world.
Health and Self-Care: Physical health and mental well-being are recurring themes, with the author emphasizing the importance of self-care practices.
Professional Excellence: The author does not prioritize career over family but values doing one’s best work and continually improving professional skills.
Community and Connection: The author values and encourages participation in supportive online and in-person communities (social media and communities of practice).
Writing and Reflection: Writing itself is an important practice for the author, serving as a tool for processing experiences and sharing insights.
These themes interweave throughout the blog posts, painting a picture of an individual deeply committed to personal growth, family, kindness, and positively impacting the world around him.”
Through sharing my story in my blog posts, I’ve realized that our personal and professional lives are intricately intertwined. All of our experiences can bring more value to our lives and others. The experiences that have shaped me have profoundly influenced my approach to work and life. Being open about these experiences will inspire a world where we see each other as individuals with meaningful lives beyond our professional roles. We can create more genuine connections by embracing kindness, continuous learning, and a willingness to help others. As we move forward, let’s remember that everyone has a story – and by taking the time to understand these stories, we can build a more compassionate and integrated world, both in and out of the workplace.
What is your story?
2024-03-13 – Bill Tomoff with Four Memoirs WrittenApril 15, 2023 Family in London Attending Tottenham Spurs EPL Game
Don and I think it is important to reemphasize the mindset that whether or not you adopt GenAI and LLMs such as ChatGPT is YOUR DECISION. Studying these new tools and challenging yourself with personal use cases is a path available to everyone. You will benefit and be of greater value personally and professionally because of the knowledge attained and skills developed. Embrace a mindset of curiosity and possibility while also paying attention to the inevitable risks that arise. Learning is your secret weapon.
To stimulate your thinking, below are several use case examples that the Twinz have used. Once you have experienced the potential of immediate, ad-free feedback, we promise your creative juices will start flowing in ways ChatGPT Plus can compellingly contribute to your life.
Visiting a new location? Ask ChatGPT to provide suggestions for must-see highlights. During a 2023 trip to Normandy in France, ChatGPT was my companion for questions about the D-Day invasion.
Planning a vacation (i.e., My family of four is planning a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida – please suggest an itinerary for a six-day, five-night trip).
Ask ChatGPT to create a QR Code.
Using the Vision functionality, ask ChatGPT to explain the details of a product you have a picture of.
Ask ChatGPT to adopt a specific persona and then ask a relevant question where that expertise is required. An example would be to ask for estate planning thoughts from the persona that ChatGPT is “an attorney with expertise in estate planning.”
Specific questions regarding technology – such as “Please provide a brief introduction to prompt engineering and why it is important to prioritize time to understand the nuances of prompting when working with ChatGPT.”
Once you have found your own use cases, we would love to know how ChatGPT has contributed to your life. Personal use alone will change and enhance your life experience. Wishing you the best in your adventure!
BONUS: Custom GPTs
While Don and I encourage adopting “start narrow” and experiencing specific use cases for ChatGPT Plus in your world, it is critical to understand AI is rapidly evolving with new features and possibilities. The potential to feel overwhelmed and unsure where to focus your energies is likely. Please start, embrace ambiguity, pay attention to experts in the space, and accept that no one has all the answers to where the technology will evolve to in the future – only that it will evolve.
Within ChatGPT Plus, an exciting development announced on November 6, 2023, from OpenAI is the ability for users to create GPTs. OpenAI has created a store where users can sell GPTs. The GPT feature is not discussed in this ChatGPT Lite introduction, but if you made it this far, we are sharing the awareness of GPTs! Per the article linked below:
What are these GPTs?
“GPTs are custom versions of ChatGPT from OpenAI, its business partners, and thousands of third-party developers who created their own GPTs.
Sometimes when people encounter ChatGPT, they don’t know where to start. OpenAI calls it the “empty box problem.” Discovering that led the company to find a way to narrow down the choices, Turley said.
“People really benefit from the packaging of a use case — here’s a very specific thing that I can do with ChatGPT,” like travel planning, cooking help or an interactive, step-by-step tool to build a website, Turley said.
Think of GPTs as OpenAI trying to make the general-purpose power of ChatGPT more refined the same way smartphones have a wealth of specific tools. (And think of GPTs as OpenAI’s attempt to take control over how we find, use and pay for these apps, much like Apple has a commanding role over iPhones through its App Store.)”
This is part 4 of 6 posts introducing ChatGPT and a path forward to consider for adoption and learning growth. Part 1 of 6 (Introduction) can be foundย here. Part 2 of 6 (Description of GenAI framework and ChatGPT โfitโ) can be foundย here. Part 3 of 6 (Steps to Getting Started) can be foundย here.
Prompt engineering – overview: Prompt engineering is designing and refining inputs (prompts) given to AI models, like ChatGPT, to optimize the quality and relevance of their outputs. This process involves carefully crafting questions, statements, or scenarios that guide the AI to generate responses more aligned with the user’s intentions.
Prompt Library – prompting styles will be a repetitive process. Build a library of frequent prompts used. Per ChatGPT, “Developing a prompt libraryโa curated collection of well-crafted prompts designed for various tasks, questions, or scenariosโoffers numerous advantages for users engaging with Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT. This practice harnesses the model’s capabilities more effectively and efficiently.”
Custom Instructions – per ChatGPT, “Building personal “custom instructions” for ChatGPT is akin to personalizing a tool to work more effectively for your specific needs and preferences.” Seth Godin describes and gives examples of custom instructions in his blog post,ChatGPT for you dated September 20, 2023.
Iterative process – The ChatGPT thread builds on the previous prompts, helping to expand thinking or dive more deeply into a topic. Per ChatGPT, “The iterative learning process in a prompt thread with ChatGPT refers to the model’s ability to build upon previous interactions within the same conversation to generate responses that are more accurate, relevant, and customized to the user’s ongoing queries or requirements.”
Hallucinations – Per ChatGPT, “In the context of GPT models, hallucinations refer to instances where the AI generates information or data that is inaccurate, fabricated, or not grounded in reality. These hallucinations can range from minor inaccuracies to entirely false narratives or facts. Understanding and mitigating the risk of such hallucinations is crucial.”
The list above will quickly expand as you work with ChatGPT, yet a brief understanding of these topics will enhance your ability to work more meaningfully with the platform. Below are influencers and courses to consider that will allow you to delve deeper into your areas of interest. Stay curious and open to learning, and show up daily to build your skills and real-life examples that will inspire you to keep going.
This is part 3 of 6 posts introducing ChatGPT and a path forward to consider for adoption and learning growth. Part 1 of 6 (Introduction) can be foundย here. Part 2 of 6 (Description of GenAI framework and ChatGPT “fit”) can be found here.
Where do I start once I have ChatGPT Plus?This is one of the most common questions that Don and I are asked. We cannot tell you what the best use cases are in your situation, but we can provide examples that stimulate thoughts for ideas. We firmly believe that once you start working with ChatGPT, your creativity will be ignited, and you’ll be off and running!
From a macro perspective, we believe that the mainstream availability and ongoing development of GenAI and, for discussion here, ChatGPT is an advancement in technology that every person needs to be curious about and engage a willingness to experience the potential of how this can and will impact their world. Whether you are paying for ChatGPT Plus or not, you already ARE paying for it (if not – you are paying through inefficient efforts and reduced talent development – which is imperative in today’s world).
Through our TwinzTalk efforts, we have created a hierarchy to contemplate when working with ChatGPT and other LLMs:
Determine your task to be done.
Is the task a “black or white” (a concrete answer is achievable)?
Use the tool to ACCELERATE what you do. Productivity can be exponentially enhanced.
Use the tool to ENABLE what you should do. Tasks such as documentation of processes are now quickly and painlessly achievable.
Use the tool to ALLOW what you cannot currently do. An example would be Advanced Data Analysis to write Microsoft Excel VBA or Python code needed – beyond existing skillset.
TwinzTalk Hierarchy – Thinking about use cases for ChatGPT and other LLMs
Part 1 of 3 (Introduction) | Summary Overview – Collaboration with Claude AI
In my blog post, I explore tips and insights to enhance one’s possibility of long-term fulfillment, success, and happiness. I emphasize that using money and material possessions as a scorecard will not bring inner peace and contentment. Instead, I suggest reframing perspectives on freedom, addressing what “enough” means in life, and understanding the time trade-offs we make. I also highlight the importance of personal development, sharing one’s gifts with the world, and adopting an abundance mindset while being kind and generous.
I acknowledge that following these tips does not guarantee reaching one’s goals but can improve the odds of success. I emphasize focusing on what one can control, such as preparation, effort, and presence, while understanding that external events are beyond our control. I share a personal experience of financial concern during a family health crisis, which changed my lens of gratitude and appreciation.
In part 2 of my blog post, I plan to cover the following highlights:
Reframing the perspective on what “freedom” means, as explained by Morgan Housel in his book The Psychology of Money.
Addressing what “enough” means in life, as described by April Rinne in her book Flux: 8 Superpowers for Thriving in Constant Change.
Understanding time trade-offs that may not increase the quality of life, as discussed in James Clear’s 3-2-1 newsletter.
Being relentless in personal development and investing in oneself.
Bringing one’s gifts to the world and helping others develop and grow.
Adopting an abundance mindset, sharing kindness, and being generous with talents and resources, as explored in Adam Grant’s book Give and Take.
Part 1 of 3 (Introduction) | Full Original Writing
How might we enhance our possibility of long-term fulfillment, success, and happiness? Thanks to some of my favorite authors, here are some tips to contemplate and answer for your life. My personal experience is adopting a few of these into your daily life will change you and bring fulfillment quicker than you imagine!
Letโs get started! Using money and material possessions as your scorecard will not bring you the inner peace that leads to contentment and fulfillment. This is not to suggest that money is not important. We all have bills to pay, but being judicious with money and living beneath our means is often a choice and commitment that will compound to tremendous leverage in the future.
Tips expanded upon below include:
Reframe your perspective on what โfreedomโ means to you. Morgan Housel explains his definition of freedom in his book The Psychology of Money.
Relentlessly address what โenoughโ means in your life. In her book Flux: 8 Superpowers for Thriving in Constant Change, April Rinne describes one of the eight superpowers for embracing change as โknow your enoughโ (not โyou are enoughโ – but that statement is 100% true!).
James Clearโs 3-2-1 newsletter for April 11, 2024, reminds us to understand the time trade-offs we often may make that do not increase the quality of our lives.
On a shorter timeframe, understand that our choices and behavior in the everyday moments, compound over the long-term. With that in mind:
Be relentless in the area of personal development. Your own development is a gift you give to yourself. There are no shortcuts. Drip, drip, drip, invest in yourself.
Bring your gifts to the world. Help others develop and grow.
Carry a mindset of abundance, share kindness, and be generous with your talents and resources. Along these lines, Adam Grantโs Give and Take book is a must-read.
Please note my introduction asking, “How might we enhance our possibility of long-term fulfillment, success, and happiness?” I am not naive enough to suggest that the hard work of saving money, personal development, kindness, and generosity towards helping others is a guaranteed path to reaching our goals. As a friend in writing, Karena de Souza, suggests, we should strive to “tilt the future” to improve our odds of success. Adopting the tips in this post will improve the odds in your favor! Always understand we control our preparation, effort, and presence brought to the world. We can influence but do not control events external to our reasoned mind. A January 31, 2024, blog post by Tanmay Vora titled “Focus on Your Circle of Control.” beautifully illustrates this Stoicism concept.
Personally, I am a financial saver at heart. Perpetually working to provide a buffer for unexpected occurrences. We should always strive to anticipate and prepare, yet realize life may (or will eventually) have other plans. In Terri Tomoff’s memoirThe Focused Fight, chapter 32, I reflect upon my concern about bankruptcy (2004) as our son Ryan was going to Duke University Medical Center for a bone marrow transplant to save his life as he fought acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) for the third time in his young life. Thankfully, we survived financially intact, yet I will never forget the intense concern of those times. Moments like these are stark reminders of how little we control, and this changed my lens of gratitude and appreciation forever.
I wrote a blog post on December 29, 2023, titled The Art of the Epitaph: Conveying a Lifetime in Ten Words or Less, where I summarized my life’s effort into six words: “I Did My Best. I Cared.” In the end, each of us doing our best is all anyone can ask. My effort, caring, presence, and best are all I or anyone can ask for.
With this clarification, in part 2, I will dive deeper into the above-mentioned tips. Please check it out and enjoy the inspiration from Morgan Housel, April Rinne, James Clear, and Adam Grant!
In this blog post, Don and I champion eliminating email from one’s personal and professional life to reclaim precious time and improve productivity. My twin (#TwinzTalk) Don and I were inspired by Luis Suarez, who successfully gave up corporate email in 2008 while working at IBM. Luis argues that email is a broken model of communication and collaboration that consumes too much time and buries important information.
We suggest that individuals can enjoy several benefits by consciously reducing email usage and adopting alternative collaboration tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams, enabling increased transparency, reduced spam and phishing risks, and more time for learning, personal growth, and family. We recommend starting with a hybrid approach. For example, consider limiting email to two 15-minute sessions per day to gradually transition away from email dependency.
Our post references Suarez’s journey and insights shared in an openSAP podcast. Suarez emphasizes the importance of individual action in breaking the email chain, openly sharing knowledge, and admitting that email overuse is a problem. He also highlights the challenges of transitioning from closed to open communication and the potential for AI to eliminate mundane tasks.
Our blog post serves as a rallying cry for individuals to join the “virtually no-one community,” reclaim control of their time, and enhance productivity by reducing email usage. We believe that by embracing this mindset shift and finding better ways to collaborate, people can build more fulfilling lives and become more effective contributors in all aspects of their lives.
Full Original Writing – Reclaim Your Time by Going E-Mail-less
Don and I are on a continual quest to find smarter and better working methods. When we can “find a better way,” we are excited to try [primarily] technology tools that might help us move in ways that enhance our ability to contribute to our worlds and improve our ability to reclaim more of our most precious asset – the time in our lives. Since December 2022, much of our efforts have been dedicated to studying and working with the potential of GenAI and ChatGPT. Yet this topic, which we feel is one of the most compelling in our now 40+ year careers, is only one of a long string of adoptions that have provided us a disproportionate advantage in our careers and lives.
“There’s a way to do it better – find it.” -Thomas Edison
In 2016, we were introduced to the collaboration platform Slack. Don and I immediately recognized the potential to reduce EMAIL use and create transparency around documentation and conversations among colleagues. We were off and running, working with the platform and encouraging others to embrace the potential that we felt was compelling. In hindsight, our vision was correct. Slack and, later, Microsoft Teams have become ubiquitous in the working world. However, almost seven years later, EMAIL seems to be raging as the go-to communication tool for many people and businesses.
Don and I felt as though we were on an island with our tenacity to vastly eliminate the use of EMAIL in our lives. Being on “the road less traveled” was a common feeling we experienced while pursuing smarter and more effective ways of working and living. We grew to enjoy living in the long tail of technology adoption.
If almost anyone is asked, “Do you struggle with email and the time required to manage it?” most people would respond emphatically, “YES!” Yet, because we all are familiar with this standard in our businesses and lives, we accept the burden and time-suck imposed upon us. Accepting a known inconvenience that everyone else is managing lets us off the hook of needing to confront the challenge of changing how we work. Instead, often, we complain and keep marching forward with the status quo. Don and I run toward finding a better way. We like to acknowledge and embrace that we are members of the “Virtually No One Community.”
A community of practice that I participate in is Harold Jarche’s Perpetual Beta Coffee Club (PBCC). A member of that community, Luis Suarez, posted on LinkedIn on February 15, 2024, that he was celebrating his 16-year anniversary of “surviving corporate life without using email!” What a radical (inspiring to the Twinz) thought and initiative to embark upon in 2008. We proudly count Luis as a member of our โvirtually no-one community!โ
Why is the elimination of email such a big deal? The number one encouragement we implore is, “You reclaim time in your life to dedicate yourself to matters of greater importance – higher quality work time for learning and growing, and most importantly, time in your personal life for your family and other priorities.” Being a more effective, efficient, and contributing person across all aspects of life is compelling. Who does not want to be a more optimal performer?
In this podcast episode, openSAP Podcasts – Education NewsCast – Episode 277, “Insights on NoEmail and distributed, remote work with Luis Suarez,” Luis talks with Thomas Jenewein about his decision to choose to eliminate the use of email in his corporate life. If you think, “My company is too big, and this would not be possible in my case, Luiz made his decision when he was working with IBM!“
Indeed, there is a better way, and Luiz shares his insights on making #NoEmail a reality in your world. At 23:00 minutes, Luiz shares his thoughts about starting with a hybrid solution to reducing email. This is the solution that Don and I embraced starting in 2016. Currently, I prioritize two 15-minute daily periods to review and clear email. My goal is to be intentional with my email review and not exceed 30 minutes per day. In addition to reclaiming precious time in our days (mentioned above), a few additional compelling benefits for us include:
Using a collaboration tool (i.e., Slack or MS Teams), sharing and transparency “for all to see” enhances access, and information is not buried in email.
EMAIL spam and phishing risks are eliminated.
Time saved from email management is available for prioritizing more important personal or professional matters, such as learning, development, and personal growth.
On February 15 and 18, 2008, Luiz shared blog posts about his decision to eliminate email. It was a courageous move that the mainstream world thought ludicrous. One reaction to his announcement was, “You will be fired within two weeks.”
I highly encourage listening to the full podcast discussion. Luiz stood up and said, “Enough” to the challenge that email brings to so many of us. May this post and his emphasis throughout the podcast inspire you to take action and reclaim your precious time! As Don and I did, starting in earnest in 2016, we adopted a conscious mindset to reduce and control the use of email. A hybrid approach has worked for us and changed our lives – personally and professionally!
Below are several timestamps in the podcast that were notable in my listening, but please listen to the full podcast!
3:00 – Why no email?
4:15 – Email is a broken model of communication and collaboration.
5:45 – Two different kinds of reactions. First, “You will be fired within two weeks.” Note – Luis was employed with IBM when he implemented his decision. He was NOT fired within two weeks.
8:10 – Now, in 2024, receive EIGHT emails per week. EIGHT!
9:10 – Myth of Inbox Zero.
9:40 – If you really want to reduce email, YOU, you, the individual, need to stop using email first. Break the chain.
10:20 – Why am I doing it?
13:30 – Study how you use email (to begin the process of elimination – small steps).
16:00 – Openness and transparency using different tools.
17:00 – My knowledge is not my knowledge. It’s everyone’s knowledge.
18:00 – Hoarding knowledge in email. Why?
19:50 – YOU are much more powerful if you share your knowledge with others.
23:00 – Hybrid solution – less email and use other tools allowing transparency. This is a great starting point.
26:20 – In your email inbox, you cannot scale…
31:45 – Change is hard…
37:10 – The transition from closed to open is a very challenging shift to make. Everyone wants to be an expert.
39:15 – Hiding in your inbox is not going to take you anywhere.
41:30 – Start with admitting, “I do have a problem.”
42:00 – GenAI helps get rid of mundane tasks. Why not eliminate mundane tasks? Hard stop. There is no need for AI in this case!
45:20 – We need to take back control of how we do work.
Join the movement and build a more productive and fulfilling life for yourself. Thank you, Luiz, for taking your position in 2008 and living true to your mission. You have inspired the twinz and shown the world what is possible. There is a better way – and you have found it!
Bonus – please read the following media coverage of Luisโs initiative to eliminate EMAIL:
In this introspective blog post, I reflect on the concept of one’s “body of work” – the unique collection of experiences, talents, and contributions that make up an individual’s life story. Inspired by the writings of Steven Pressfield and Seth Godin, who emphasize that we are all artists in our own lives, I encourage readers to recognize and embrace their personal growth, leadership, and positive impact on others as their own form of art.
I share my own journey of self-discovery, which began in June 2020 when I joined a writing community with my wife, Terri. Through daily writing, I gained clarity of thought and a deeper appreciation for the power of the written word. This led to the creation of four unpublished memoirs, each focusing on a different aspect of my life: my personal story, my daughter’s soccer career, my older brother’s profound impact, and my shared experiences with my twin brother.
My work encompasses various meaningful areas that have shaped my identity and the value I strive to bring to the world. These include my experiences as a competitive distance runner, my academic and professional achievements, my role as a family man and caregiver to my son (a five-time cancer survivor), my love of sports, my involvement in soccer and refereeing, my advocacy for childhood cancer, personal development, and kindness, as well as my engagement in social media and communities of practice.
I conclude the blog post with an invitation to readers to contemplate their own life experiences and recognize the unique talents and nuances that make up their individual stories. I encourage everyone to embrace their personal body of work and continue refining it throughout their lives, joining me on this shared adventure of self-discovery and growth.
Full Original Writing – Introduction to My Body of Work
What is your story? Everyone has a storyโฆ and we all develop a body of work that builds as we find our path through life. Our body of work grows and our life perspective and wisdom is the gift of our work. We all are artists creating our own unique art that cannot be replicated by another human.
โOne of the major responsibilities of a person is to make that intellectual spark which you have received from heaven illuminate the world around you.โ
โChinese Wisdom
The opportunity I am embracing here is to share my interpretation of my body of work through my personal lens. This writing is inspired by reading The Daily Pressfield by Steven Pressfield and The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin. Steven and Seth emphasize that we all can be/are artists in our lives. I love this – we just need to recognize how we grow, lead, contribute, and help others, is our art, if we care enough to put our heart and soul into the work of being our best every day.
As you read the rest of this introduction, I encourage you to contemplate, โWhat is my body of work that is the art creating my life story?โ
My life has evolved from being a fiercely independent, accomplishment-driven young man to a family man led by my life experiences to building and developing my talents so I can maximize helping others and leaving the world a better place for having been alive.
My adventure into deeper self-introspection started in June 2020 when I joined my wife, Terri, in a writing community. Over the past [almost] four years, we have grown to love the daily process of writing, the clarity the writing brings to our thoughts, and an appreciation of the gift of writing and the community of kind and caring people participating with us.
My efforts have resulted in four unpublished memoirs that I have completed. I have gained tremendous enjoyment from writing these memoirs and fulfillment knowing the thoughts, appreciation, and memories I ultimately leave for my family. The four memoirs have now made it possible to think about and more clearly articulate my body of work through the blessing of my 65-plus years of life,
The four unpublished memoirs completed, and one in process, include:
December 2020 – Living Life…Off The Track. My personal memoir.
December 2021 – Forever Changed: One Family’s Adventure with The Beautiful Game of Soccer. My memoir of our daughter Olivia’s 15-year soccer career.
January 2023 – “Million Dollar Al” and Beyond. My memoir of my older brother Alex and his profound impact on my life.
December 2023 – Double Vision: Seeing Life Through Twin Eyes. My memoir of my twin brother Don and our shared adventure in life.
TBD (in-process) 2024 – I Did My Best. I Cared: Reflections on Experiences, Lessons Learned, and Heartfelt Tips to Live a Fulfilling Life.
As I write at this point in time, the meaningful areas of my body of work are many. I hold each of these close to my heart. They have shaped who I am and the value I strive to bring to the world every day. The areas include:
Competitive distance runner
College academics
Career
Family
Caregiver, with Terri, for our five-time cancer survivor son Ryan.
Post-Traumatic Growth
Love of sports shared with family
Soccer and soccer referee
Advocate for childhood cancer
Advocate for personal development
Advocate for kindness
Social Media 2010 and forward
#TwinzTalk cofounder 2018
Philosophy of Stoicism since 2019
Communities of practice
What is your story? Contemplating your life experiences, you may realize, as I have, that there are many nuances to every person’s life. We are all unique and have talents within us that no one else owns. Embrace yours and continue refining your body of work for the rest of your life! Join me on this adventure.
Follow my writing as I expand in greater depth to highlight each area of my body of work. Thank you for reading!
Since the introduction of ChatGPT in December 2023, #TwinzTalk Don Tomoff and I have prioritized learning and working with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and other LLMs, such as Anthropic’s Claude AI.
In the work that Don and I do, we continually challenge ourselves to “narrow the path” and present actionable information that encourages others to invest in their learning and identify ways to leverage technology to benefit their lives personally and professionally. In this regard, Generative AI and specifically the ChatGPT Plus LLM have become the most urgent focus for everyone. The advancements in these technologies are going to continue and accelerate. This document is focused on an introduction to getting started with ChatGPT adoption. We are referring to this as “ChatGPT Lite.”
Topics to be covered include:
Description of Generative AI (GenAI) and how ChatGPT fits into the framework of GenAI.
Steps to getting started with ChatGPT.
High-level concepts to understand.
Resources for learning – influencers and online learning courses.
Sample of use cases to inspire your creativity for personal use.
Before diving into the topics, in our interest of narrowing the path, we consider the following steps essential:
Enroll in ChatGPT Plus. This cost is currently $20 per month, and we emphasize that this must be considered a non-negotiable personal investment for every individual.
Commit to being curious and learning daily. Drip, drip, drip, the learning compounds by dedicating and investing personal time.
Understand that adoption of ChatGPT Plus is an individual decision and NOT subject to the approval of an employer. The opportunities to expose yourself and learn with this technology can be done personally without crossing the boundaries of professional roles possibly involving an employer’s intellectual property.
With this overview introduction completed, please follow along as we delve into the specific topics detailed above!
Parts 2 through 6 of this ChatGPT Lite series of blog posts can be accessed through the links below:
Since 2009, my twin, Don, and I have been captivated by the potential of social media, using it to foster our personal and professional growth and share insights through initiatives like #TwinzTalk and #TwinsTechTip. Our journey on these platforms laid the groundwork for a deeper exploration into specialized communities of practice (COPs), a transition inspired by Seth Godin’s 2020 blog on “A Community of Practice.”
My wife, Terri, and I embarked on a COP new venture, starting with a writing community group in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. These focused communities have been a wellspring of learning and growth and building new connections and knowledge beyond the broader platforms available through social media. Influential figures like Tanmay Vora, Rajesh Setty, and Harold Jarche have been instrumental in this journey, inspired by Tanmay’s work on leadership and learning, which deeply resonated with me.
This shift to more intimate COPs has been transformative, aligning with the principle โto whom much is given, much will be requiredโ (Luke 12:48). It echoes the support and kindness my family experienced during my son Ryan’s cancer battles, a blessing I am committed to paying forward. The journey through COPs and virtual communities has been profound, reminding us of our responsibility to contribute and grow within these nurturing spaces and our broader network when possible. I embrace the requirement that my talents and gifts must be shared with my broader network – a network that is exponentially larger through the availability of social media and COPs.
“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.”
โSteve Prefontaine
Original Reflection
I have separately written about my appreciation of participating in Communities of Practice (COP). I am developing a blog post that takes a deeper dive into how my wife, Terri, and I have been encouraged and inspired through our involvement in various communities that started in June 2020.
My contemplation about my involvement in COPs lifts me up. I am grateful to many wonderfully talented, generous, and kind participants who have helped me learn and grow. The community’s participants care about developing their craft and helping others on their path. The environment is enriching.
Before joining a specific COP (Writing in Community was my initial participation), I felt a “looser,” yet similar, connection through many social media relationships that have developed over the years. I revisited a blog post from Tanmay Vora titledLeading and Learning: How to Feed a Community. Now, after my experience with specific COPs over the past 3+ years, Tanmay’s post resonates more clearly with me.
Tanmay Vora Sketchnote –Lisa Haneberg “How to feed the community.”
“The idea of โto whom much is given, much will be requiredโ is that we are held responsible for what we have. If we are blessed with talents, wealth, knowledge, time, and the like, it is expected that we use these well to glorify God and benefit others.” [BOLD emphasis is mine]
I credit my first awareness of the above thought to Mr. Abe Pollin, the owner of Washington Sports & Entertainment, the organization I worked with from 1996 to 2011. Beyond wealth, we must help others with the other blessings we may receive – such as talents and knowledge. An additional blessing that I am committed to paying forward for the rest of my life is the gift of kindness and support that family, friends, community, and strangers have brought to my family’s lives through my son Ryan’s 27+ five-time battles with cancer. I am forever indebted and grateful for all the gifts in my life, and I will use those gifts to help others.
My twin Don and I love social media – we appreciated the professional potential early on, starting in 2009. Sharing a strong interest in technology and personal development, our careers have emphasized building awareness, skills, and learning across many areas that we then shared in our professional circles and on social media. We strive to enlighten others with the gifts our vision and early adopter tendencies have brought to our lives. In 2018 and 2020, we initiated #TwinzTalk and #TwinsTechTip, respectively, for sharing tips on LinkedIn.
Tanmay’s blog post inspired me to highlight his and his work’s impact on my life. Since our 2016 connection via Twitter, his talent, generosity, and kindness for helping others around leadership and conveying his learning into beautiful digestible sketchnotes have helped sharpen/refine my interest in personal development and my potential for helping others through my experiences and life learnings. Helping others learn and grow their talents is my gift and the purpose of my work. In Tanmay’s blog post, he notes:
“Lisa Haneberg, one of my favorite bloggers, wrote about how to feed a community where she said,
If we want to belong to a vibrant community we have to feed it.”
“It became quite clear to me that learning is a social act and we learn the most when we learn together.
In the communities that we choose to belong to (online and offline), we have to do our part in feeding it. It is only when we are generous about sharing our gifts that we build credibility to receive anything meaningful in return…”
Tanmay also mentions Rajesh Setty and his course offering โThe Right Hustle,โ along with Harold Jarche and his work aboutPersonal Knowledge Mastery. I am connected to Rajesh and Harold and have learned much from them. My interest and action to follow are all thanks to Tanmay’s belief in their work. I am forever grateful and indebted. My responsibility is to pay forward their contributions by helping others in my network.
In May 2020, Seth Godin shared a blog, “A Community of Practice,” that led Terri and I to join a Community of Practice (a separate, more in-depth discussion of this to follow). In addition to the learning community that Don and I have developed via social media, Seth introduced the possibility of joining specific intimate communities that created the potential for greater connection among like-minded, kind, and generous people. Little did we know the magic that would unfold for us, beginning with our initial enrollment in a writing-in-community platform in June 2020! The pandemic and virtual communities of practice collided in 2020, and as Doctor Seuss would say:
“Oh, The Places Youโll Go! Youโll be on your way up! Youโll be seeing great sights!”
–Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places Youโll Go!
Who feeds your learning, and are you living up to your responsibility to do your part in feeding the community?
Terri and Bill Tomoff with book efforts in Writing In Community community of practice 2020-2021
