Using AI to Wrestle with Ideas

I’ve learned something the long way:
Good thoughts don’t ripen on command.

Sure, I can give ChatGPT a shiny idea and let it crank out a slick post in 30 seconds flat.
But when I do that, I skip the part where I wrestle with the thought.
I skip the fruit.

Because real fruit?
The kind that’s rich and juicy and sweet?
Takes time to grow.

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The Long Way Home

That’s why I’ve started doing this simple thing when I want to write from a place of depth, not just convenience:

I open up GPT, and I say:

“You’re my thought coach. I want you to ask me one question at a time to help me untangle what I think and feel about this idea.”

Then I give it a quote, a moment, a half-thought.

And I just let the questions come.

One at a time.

No agenda. No pressure.
Just slow, honest shaping.

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Thought-Shaping Is Personal

The more I do this, the more I realize:
Everyone has a different shaping power.

For me? It’s analogies.
God’s wired me to see meaning in the ordinary—
A leaf in the sun becomes a picture of divided attention.
A peach becomes a parable of patience.

But for others, it might be something else:

• Stories from their childhood

• Lists that reveal structure

• Drawings or diagrams

• Curated quotes with layers of meaning

Part of the magic of this “thought guide” process is you start to notice how you think.
You begin to see how you shape—and where that shaping flows most freely.

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A Simple Field Practice

Here’s how you can try it:

1. Name the thought.
   Drop in a quote, a verse, a tiny spark that’s caught your attention.

2. Assign the role.
   Tell GPT: “You’re my thought coach. Ask one question at a time.”

3. Answer like a friend asked.
   Don’t overthink it. Let your voice stay real, raw, and honest.

4. Follow the thread.
   When it feels right, stop. Reread your answers. See what fruit has formed.

5. Shape and share.
   From that tangle of truth, you may just find something worth offering.

If you wanna go deeper with a practical field guide for noticing, shaping, and sharing ideas in a way that’s deeply you, check out my eBook:
Thinking in Analogies