Welcome to Mind and Machine AI for Personal Growth and Development. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to consult the great minds of the world—whether historical or present-day—when faced with a decision? Imagine having multiple perspectives to work through your challenges, enabling you to feel more confident about your choices.
In today’s episode, I’m sharing a phenomenal prompt that will let you create a council of great minds, simulate their perspectives, and make impactful decisions. Whether it’s applying for a promotion, starting a side hustle, or pursuing a passion project, this method can guide you.
Interestingly, this wasn’t the planned topic for today. But when I came across this idea on Reddit, I knew I had to share it. I found it under a post titled, “What’s the best use of ChatGPT you’ve discovered by accident?” While the original post was simple, the comments were where the magic happened.
One user, EstablishmentOK6384, described creating a council of advisors with distinct personalities. They refined their approach over time, enabling each counselor to give unique perspectives and even debate among themselves. This inspired me to explore how you can do the same!
The suggestion is to choose five intelligent people—alive or dead—such as Aristotle, Steve Jobs, or Ruth Bader Ginsburg. These individuals should have diverse strengths to challenge one another and help reach the best conclusions. ChatGPT can simulate this process by adopting their personas and offering advice tailored to your specific dilemma.
Here’s an example council:
- Aristotle: Offers systematic, virtue-based ethical guidance.
- Eleanor Roosevelt: Focuses on human rights, diplomacy, and global perspectives.
- Alan Turing: Brings unmatched analytical skills and visionary thinking.
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A sharp legal mind focused on fairness.
- Elon Musk: Adds a bold, entrepreneurial, and boundary-pushing viewpoint.
This council setup can be tailored to your needs. Add people who inspire you! Maybe Andrew Huberman for neuroscience, Brené Brown for vulnerability, or Marie Curie for persistence.
Once you’ve chosen your council, ChatGPT can guide you step-by-step. Here’s how:
- Define your council and their unique strengths.
- Present your problem or decision to them.
- Simulate each council member’s perspective and questions.
- Reflect on their responses, synthesize insights, and act on their advice.
- Carl Jung: “What fear is this procrastination protecting you from? Explore and accept this shadow aspect of yourself.”
- Brené Brown: “Procrastination shields vulnerability. Showing up imperfectly is where true courage lies.”
- Marcus Aurelius: “Focus on what you can control. Criticism is inevitable, but integrity matters most.”
For example, if you’re procrastinating on launching a podcast, here’s how some council members might respond:
ChatGPT even helps craft reusable prompts to summon your council anytime. For instance, “I’d like you to role-play as a council of great minds—Carl Jung, Brené Brown, Marcus Aurelius, Marie Curie, and Maya Angelou. I’ll describe a problem, and I’d like each of you to respond authentically in your unique voice.”
This technique offers deep insights and helps overcome indecision. But what if this method leads to analysis paralysis? That’s what we’ll cover in the next episode.
If you found this helpful, please like and subscribe. Share it with someone who might benefit, and let us know—who would you choose on your council? See you next time!