AI Beyond the Basics: Build Your Personal AI Toolkit for Work and Life Three months ago, I set ambitious goals for Q2. Some I crushed, others humbled me. But here’s what I learned about growth, fear, and the power of showing up—plus the bold commitments I’m making for Q3. Looking Back: Q2 Was My AI Renaissance This past quarter was transformative, though not always in the ways I expected. I called it my “AI domination” phase, and honestly, that’s exactly what it was. I dove headfirst into AI agents, consuming countless articles, videos, and courses. The learning curve was steep—I went from prompting AI like anyone else would to building a conversational AI for onboarding that could handle complex customer scenarios, and a personal AI that helps me on my daily endeavours. What fascinated me most was discovering how AI amplifies human creativity rather than replacing it. There’s research from MIT showing that workers using AI tools like ChatGPT saw productivity increases of 37% for writing tasks, but the real magic happened when I learned to combine AI capabilities with my own insights and domain knowledge. It wasn’t just about using the technology—it was about understanding how to dance with it. But the real wins went deeper than code. I made a conscious effort to prioritize relationships—family, friends, and my partner—and discovered something profound: vulnerability creates connection. When I started being more open about my goals and struggles, our conversations became richer. I’d call my family more often, not just for obligatory check-ins but to actually share what I was learning and working on. With friends, I moved beyond surface-level catching up to deeper discussions about life direction and challenges. And in general I have now openly shared with my closest friends and family all my ambitious goals! Harvard’s Grant Study, which has followed subjects for over 80 years, consistently shows that good relationships are the strongest predictor of happiness and life satisfaction. I felt this truth viscerally as my relationships deepened. My girlfriend and I started having more honest conversations about our future, aligning our individual ambitions with our shared vision. The connection became stronger because I wasn’t hiding behind a facade of having everything figured out. Getting back into calisthenics after a long break reminded me that physical challenges mirror mental ones: the comeback is always harder than the original journey, but infinitely more rewarding. My shoulder, which had been bothering me for months, started improving as I committed to consistent stretching and bodyweight exercises. There’s something humbling about struggling with movements that once felt effortless, but research shows that neuroplasticity—our brain’s ability to reorganize—actually increases when we’re relearning familiar skills. Highlights Successfully completing a demo version for actual clients. Nothing pushes you out of your comfort zone like real stakes and real people depending on your work. I remember the moment when the client tested the AI system and of course found something not working—I couldn’t figure out what it was that made it break. That’s when I realized I wasn’t just building cool projects anymore; I was solving real problems for real people. Pushing through to understand and fix every bug that popped up along the way, was what underlined what I had already known: I will never give up! Reality Check Time management became my biggest nemesis. Balancing work, personal projects, and social commitments felt like juggling flaming torches while riding a unicycle. Daily Bites, my app project, didn’t get the attention it deserved because I was spreading myself too thin. Research from the University of California, Irvine found that it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to refocus after a task interruption—and I was interrupting myself constantly, switching between projects without giving any single one the deep work it deserved. Present Reality: I’m Ready But Scared Here’s where I stand today: professionally, I’m in the best place I’ve been in years. I’m working on projects I genuinely love, feeling energized and focused. My life satisfaction ratings tell the story—I’m at 9.5/10 for work and ambition, 10/10 for learning and growth. But ratings are just numbers until you understand what they represent. The 9.5 in work comes from finally landing in a role where I’m building things I believe in, where my boss trusts my judgment, and where every day brings new challenges that stretch my capabilities. It’s not just about the technical work—it’s about the alignment between what I’m doing and what matters to me. Cal Newport’s research on “Deep Work” shows that people who can focus intensely on cognitively demanding tasks report higher job satisfaction and better performance. I’m experiencing this firsthand. But there’s a gap that’s been staring me in the face, and it’s the gap between competence and confidence, between creating and sharing. I’m still not seeing results from my own work. I mean, how could I?  I’m building incredible things, learning voraciously, but I’m not putting myself out there. The brutal truth? I’ve been recording myself for over four weeks and haven’t edited a single video. I have hours of footage sitting on my hard drive, documenting interesting projects, insights, and reflections—but they’re invisible to the world. This hits on something psychologists call “impostor syndrome,” but I think it’s more nuanced than that. Research from the International Journal of Behavioral Science shows that 70% of people experience impostor syndrome at some point, but for creators and entrepreneurs, there’s an additional layer: the fear of being seen as self-promotional or inauthentic. Let me explain: I had the idea to approach strangers in London to offer free photo editing in exchange for experience and connections—a win-win that could lead to paid work or unknown opportunities—but fear held me back. Standing there in London, camera in hand, I felt the weight of every “what if” scenario. What if they think I’m trying to scam them? What if my work isn’t good enough? What if I’m just bothering people? But here’s what research from Stanford’s psychology department reveals: the “spotlight