How to get answers from your subconscious: ChatGPT, Prompt Engineering and your Future Self
What’s the secret to getting useful stuff out of ChapGPT?
Prompt Engineering.
In other words: asking great questions.
It’s eerily similar to…coaching!
And whilst it can be insanely useful to use all the knowledge of the interwebs, you sometimes want to know something you cannot find online.
But sometimes you want to know something you cannot find online.
Something that is very specific to YOU and your situation.
The great thing is: you have your own amazing dataset to work with.
It’s all the stuff that lives in your subconscious.
Everything your brain has decided to store over the years - and everything your senses are noticing now, in the present moment.
You can actually access that wealth of knowledge - but not with your rational brain. That can only help you think about what you know you know.
You need an interface that helps you retrieve the information from your subconscious.
And you need to engineer some great prompts.
One of my favourite ‘interfaces’ to do that is the concept of your future self.
I explain in depth how to access your future self’s knowledge and wisdom, and get free advice from them any time of day or night in this week’s podcast:
But for this newsletter, let’s keep it simple.
This weekend, simply carve out 20-30 minutes to be alone.
Think about something you would like help with - it could be a decision you want to make, a goal or a dream you want to go after…anything that you can’t solve with your rational brain or Google.
Remember, you want to create a great prompt - make your question as specific as possible, just as you would with ChatGPT.
Got your question ready?
Keep pen and paper handy and get comfortable.
Dream into the future, and visualise future you.
They’re older, wiser, and they know exactly what current you is trying to figure out.
Once you’ve visualised them, ask your question.
Ask them how to achieve a goal for example - but ask it as if it has already happened, because from their perspective it has!
I could ask something like:
“Hey future Else, how did I manage to get invited to speak at the world’s biggest HR event about working with gifted employees?”
You get the idea.
And when you’ve asked your question, WAIT.
Be still.
Don’t start thinking about your problem - you’ve already tried that route.
Give your subconscious some processing time.
And then jot down anything that you hear, see, understand.
Even if it doesn’t make perfect sense.
Get nothing?
No worries - go for a walk.
Take a break.
Trust that the servers are working, the process is running, your answer is on its way.
This is a beautiful way to access your inner wisdom.
And should your rational brain be a bit sceptical about it, why not give it a spin?
The worst thing that can happen is that you spend 20 undisturbed minutes in a comfy chair.