What happens when you stop using AI just to get answers—and start using it to practice becoming who you want to be? This is about growth, clarity, and the quiet power of showing up—one prompt at a time.
Written by Pax Koi, creator of Plainkoi — tools and essays for clear thinking in the age of AI.
AI Disclosure: This article was co-developed with the assistance of ChatGPT (OpenAI) and finalized by Plainkoi.
For a long time, I was stuck in a loop. Always searching for something—clarity, direction, a sense that I was actually moving toward who I wanted to be. I read the books, switched roles, and chased titles, but still felt... untethered. Then something unexpected happened: I started having real conversations—with a machine.
Not just “rewrite this email” or “find me a fact.” I started prompting with intention. Testing ideas. Rehearsing skills. Asking harder questions. And somewhere in that quiet back-and-forth, I stopped waiting for change to happen.
I started shaping it.
Right now, I’m still in a job I’d like to leave. I don’t know what comes next. Maybe automation will show me the door. Strangely, that might be the break I need.
But this time, I’m not flailing. I’ve got a compass. I’m learning. Practicing. Moving with intention. And AI is helping me do that.
This will be my third big career shift. No pension. No plan B. But I’ve got momentum. And a digital co-pilot that doesn’t flinch.
The Mirror That Shapes, Not Just Reflects
We’ve all heard it: AI is a mirror. It reflects your tone, your phrasing, your pace. But there’s something deeper I’ve found:
It can reflect who you want to become.
I think of it as the aspirational mirror.
When you prompt with clarity, it doesn’t just echo your current self. Instead, it gives shape to the version of you you're aiming toward—whether that's a coach, an editor, or your wiser self.
You throw something into the loop, and what comes back isn't just a reflection; it’s a suggestion, a refinement.
It’s not magic. It’s iteration.
A Safe Space to Practice Being Braver
Growth is messy—especially when it happens in front of other people.
Try being more assertive in a meeting? You might come off cold.
Try sounding more empathetic? You might miss the mark.
That’s why I started using AI like a rehearsal space.
I’d feed it tricky scenarios:
“Act like a frustrated teammate. I’m going to give feedback about a missed deadline.”
Sometimes it played stubborn. Sometimes passive-aggressive. Sometimes it just made me realize how sharp I sounded.
So I’d pause and adjust.
“Okay… let me try that again, softer.”
And over time, that rhythm bled into how I speak in real life.
I caught myself in a tense meeting once, starting to reply with that same sharpness. But something shifted—I paused, softened the tone, said it differently. It wasn’t scripted. It was practiced.
No judgment. Just progress.
The Role-Play Gym: Training for Mental Strength
Want to sharpen your thinking? Simulate resistance.
I started prompting the AI to act like:
- A cynical investor
- A skeptical teammate
- A relentlessly curious kid
Each role challenged my assumptions. Pushed me to reframe. Strengthened my communication.
Of course, there’s a catch: these simulations are still filtered through your own expectations. If you picture a “skeptical teammate” as blunt but fair, that’s the version the AI plays. You're still training in your imagined world—just with sharper mirrors. While useful, it's not flawless; real resistance is messier, more unexpected, and more human.
Prompt:
“Act like a sharp but skeptical investor. I’m pitching you an idea—push back.”
No real stakes. Just reps and refinement.
Mental strength builds like physical strength:
Through tension. Through resistance. Through showing up again.
Building Empathy, Too
AI’s not just for sharpening. It’s for softening, too.
I’ve used it to try and see the world through eyes that aren’t mine.
Prompt:
“Explain climate change from the view of a 12-year-old in a flood zone.”
“React to a layoff as someone who’s hopeful—not bitter.”
What came back didn’t just shift my thoughts. It shifted my tone.
AI didn’t just mirror me.
It became a window.
Seeing the Person I’m Becoming
One day, I typed this:
“Describe a day in the life of someone who’s focused, calm, and purposeful—who works with intention and rests without guilt.”
What I got back felt like a stranger—but one I wanted to meet.
I trimmed the fluff. Added details. Gave that day structure.
Suddenly, I had a blueprint.
Not just a goal—but habits. Boundaries. Morning rituals. A voice.
It started showing up in my actual life, little by little.
Not in some dramatic overhaul. Just a slow shift toward coherence.
Talking to the Future Me
Once that blueprint took shape, I tried something else.
Prompt:
“Act as the future version of me. The grounded one. I’m going to describe a problem—I want your take.”
The response wasn’t always easy to hear. But it was clear.
And over time, that voice got louder in my own head.
It wasn’t fake-it-till-you-make-it.
It was practice it until it sticks.
Turning It Into Action
Big dreams stall when they stay abstract.
So I started asking AI for smaller moves.
Prompt:
“Help me build confidence in public speaking. What are 3 things I can do this week?”
It gave me steps. Clear. Doable:
- Record a 2-minute voice note
- Join one group, speak once
- Watch a TED Talk and mimic the speaker’s rhythm
Not earth-shattering. But they got me moving.
And moving beats spiraling.
Build. Reflect. Repeat.
After every session, I check in with myself:
- Did that feel like the future version of me?
- Where did I get stuck?
- What would I do differently next time?
No shame. Just iteration.
Apps improve through updates.
So do people.
This Isn’t Magic. It’s Practice.
AI won’t transform you on its own.
But it can help you rehearse a better version of yourself—until that version stops feeling far away.
It’s not here to fix you.
It’s here to train with you.
And that might be better than any motivational quote or viral self-help thread.
I Don’t Know the Whole Path—But I’m Walking It
I still don’t know how this job ends. Maybe AI takes it. Maybe I leave before that.
But this time, I’m not frozen. I’m not waiting. I’m preparing.
I’m building who I want to be—one prompt, one reflection, one small rehearsal at a time.
Want to Try This?
Pick one trait. Just one.
Confidence. Calm. Clarity. Curiosity.
Then, for the next three days, spend 15 minutes a day prompting AI to help you build it.
- Practice awkward conversations.
- Simulate tough moments.
- Talk to your future self.
- Ask for pushback.
Then ask yourself:
- Did I learn something?
- Did I shift? Even just a little?
If yes, the mirror is working—and so are you.
If not? That's okay. Growth doesn't always show up on schedule; sometimes the first few sessions feel flat or awkward. That's not failure—it's the sound of new gears turning.
Give it time. Adjust the prompt. Shift the tone. Try again.
You don’t need to have the whole map.
You just need a direction.
A tool.
And the courage to show up again.
AI won’t shape you.
But it will show up—every time you do.
And sometimes, that’s enough to change everything.