AI is reshaping how we live and work, but what if it’s also the key to discovering who you’re truly meant to be? In this solo episode, Jeffrey Saad explores how artificial intelligence can become a catalyst for purpose, creativity, and human connection. By embracing optimism, growth, and adaptability, we can turn uncertainty into opportunity and thrive in a rapidly changing world.
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How AI Is Going To Help You Find What You Are Meant To Do!
AI: The Ultimate Circle Of Control And Optimism
Let’s talk about AI. AI is the ultimate example of the circle of control. I also want to start by saying that I’m going to talk about AI, having no clue, and not being an expert. Sometimes, that is where the gold is because being too smart, being too in it, and being too involved in it can make you a little bit, not blind, but not see the other side of it. I’ve learned sometimes that when you apply the most practical common sense approach to things, you can make a lot of sense out of it, even though you don’t understand all the technical stuff.
I’m using ChatGPT almost daily. I love it. It’s a great tool. The reason it’s not going to be the end of the world, in my opinion, and the reason it’s going to be a wonderful thing is because, first of all, we have to start with optimism. You’ve heard me talk about this a million times. To me, if you don’t start by believing something, you can’t bring it to fruition. You have to start by having an optimistic attitude.
AI is no different than other amazing inventions and technologies. It will temporarily scare. It will amaze, and then it will settle in and find its place in the world, and for how we all are going to use it. It’s not, “Will we get through this?” but, “How will we get through this?” It’s not, “Will I be able to adapt? Am I done?” but, “How will I adapt? How will I thrive through this big change?” It’s always different. When people say, “It’s no different this time,” it’s different. Everything’s different, but a lot of the principles remain.
AI, like other amazing inventions and technologies, will temporarily scare, then amaze, and finally settle into its place in the world. Share on XBig change normally takes bravery, but a lot of people are going to be forced to do what they’re meant to do. If I’m an accountant, for example, and all of a sudden, I’m not that happy with my life because I know it’s not who I’m meant to be, guess what? I’ve been an accountant for 20 years, 10 years, or 5 years, or I went to school for this, and I’m doing this. It’s a lot harder. It takes a lot more courage to dump everything you’ve worked for and do something new. That’s why a lot of people end up staying in a place that isn’t what they’re meant to do and that isn’t their highest and best use.
One of my tattoos is called Ikigai. It’s a Japanese philosophy of, what are you meant to do? What are you here on this planet for? What is your highest and best purpose? I’ve always been in search of that, which is why I’ve done so many different things, from being a chef and a restaurant owner to a realtor, to doing these shows, and to being a book author. I’m always seeking what’s my highest and best use to give more than I take and live a life that I’m proud of and excited about.
AI’s Catalyst: Finding Your True Purpose And Highest Use
What’s going to happen with AI is it’s going to force people to go, “Guess what? I can’t continue being a CPA.” I’m not beating up on CPAs. My top-line belief is that most positions will still be there. I’ll get to that in a second. If you’re not going to be able to keep being what you’re being because AI will replace that, first of all, we should celebrate it.
It’s no different than the manufacturing lines of Ford. At the end of the day, nobody wants to go backwards and stop having things being mass produced in an efficient, effective way that’s cost-effective and a better way to do it. To hang on to the worst way of doing something just to hang on doesn’t ever seem like it’s going to end up somewhere good. You can’t force these things. You’ve got to go with the times.
One of my favorite quotes I’ve always talked about is from Karl Lagerfeld from Chanel. He died, but he managed to be a fashion icon until the end of his 90s. His quote was, “I’m open to everything because. As soon as you’re close to your time, your time is over.” I love that. It’s not about how we can fight this, how we can stop this, or how miserable we can be about this, but how we adapt to it. How do we make our lives better with it and the lives of those people around us?
What’s going to happen is people are going to be forced to go, “I can’t be that.” This is what excites me. I’ve always said, “Who would you be if you weren’t who you thought you were?” You get into these roles, and then you’re going to be forced to say, “I can’t do my job X anymore. What am I meant to do? What do I want to do?”
The exciting part of AI is that it’s going to help people find what they’re meant to do. A lot of what they’re meant to do will be creative. You hear those stories all the time. The guy was on Wall Street, or the girl was in IT. After decades of being unhappy, they finally quit and started the greatest chocolate company that ever existed. You’re like, “It’s a great story.” They had the courage to make that huge pivot, but for most people, that’s hard to do. If you’re forced to do it, you’re going to have to make that pivot. You’re like, “What am I meant to do?”
I’m very much down the middle when we talk politics and stuff. I don’t say this because I’m a socialist, but I do love the concept of the idea. One of the other things to look forward to is maybe we, as a people, will come up with a great way to give people who need it a regular monthly stipend or whatever you want to call it. You won’t have to worry about your family, your food, or your shelter. It gives you the freedom to do what you’re meant to do and add value to this world. You’re going to stop and go, “I can be creative. I can do this thing.”
The Indispensable Value Of Human Connection In An AI-Driven World
What are the things that are going to be the most valued? To me, connection is what will always be the most important and the most valued thing. As human beings, we need connection. Connection solves so much. When we are together and we are interacting, laughing, learning, and thriving together in person, it’s the greatest thing. In-person events, seminars, presentations, workshops, whether it’s making jewelry or making furniture, and book clubs, things that are creative and things that are in-person will be more valued than ever. That’s going to be an incredible opportunity.
Connection will always be the most important and valued thing for human beings. Share on XFor those of you who want to continue doing what you do, this is the ultimate moment or the ultimate test for you. On Wall Street, they say to all the researchers, “Those jobs are going to be gone because AI can do it faster.” Guess what? There’s no such thing as every position going away. There’s no such thing as all positions in that category going away. Some people will remain because there is still going to be a need for people to double-check AI’s work and interpret that work.
Adapting To AI: The Call To Get Better And Thrive
My challenge to you is if you love what you’re doing and you’re worried that AI is going to take it away, get better and be better. This is what I’ve been doing in real estate for years. We continue to work less, make more, have better relationships, have more wonderful client interactions, and get our clients the best results. My wife and I are focused on constantly being better, not, “How do we do more deals?”
Especially in real estate, it’s such a thing to focus on the top line. It’s like, “How many deals did you do this year? What was your gross production?” We’re focused on what our clients’ bottom line is and what is the best result financially, emotionally, and in every way for our clients. When you keep focusing on that and finding ways to deliver that better, you keep getting better and busier.
You can also be choosier. You don’t need more to fill the gaps if you’re better. Real estate is a perfect example. I’d rather do 3 deals this month or 1 deal this month. You can do whatever number you want to pick. Many realtors do three deals a year. I’d rather do fewer deals, blow the client away, and have more free time for what I want to do for my family.
I keep getting better with my skills. In that extra time I have, I’m not stressed. I’m taking care of myself. I can study negotiation. I can study the market. I can network with other realtors. I can keep reading books. I can keep listening to podcasts. I can keep finding ways to be better in ways that you normally might not consider.
Most realtors think, “How do I get more clients and close more deals?” I think of it as how do I become a better therapist or psychologist? At the same time, I’m a great advisor and confidant. How do I find that line between being a friend and having empathy, but not to the point where it doesn’t serve the client? You don’t have time to think about all those things and study all those things if you’re trying to do more. If you want AI not to replace you, be better. Find ways to get better.
AI is pushing us to take real ownership of our opportunities. Share on XThe other exciting thing with AI is that I don’t think everyone is going to get decimated. What’s going to happen is maybe you’ll only be needed twenty hours a week. Maybe salaries or hourly rates will adjust to where you’re only working 20 hours, but you’re getting paid for 30 hours. It’s not as much as when you were working 40 or 50 hours, but guess what? Your quality of life went way up.
You’re making a little bit less, but you have way more free time to what? To go make some furniture and sell that as a separate business. You have more free time to be a speaker, write a book, or make jewelry. You have more free time to pivot into all these jobs that AI is going to end up creating that we aren’t even aware of yet, or at least I’m not.
I’m aware of the obvious ones. If you’re in anything to do with energy or electricity, you’re going to be busy supporting AI. If you’re an industrial builder, you’re going to be busy doing warehouses, data centers, and technology for cooling these massive processors. Somebody’s going to invent a way to cool these things more efficiently because, supposedly, the amount of water and power it takes is insane. That will require a bunch of new people working on that technology to provide that to the AI world. To throw up the flag and give up is nuts. Believe it. You have to believe there’s always a way through, and it’s usually a more exciting way, like all this technology we have.
Personally, I don’t find social media to be negative in any way at all because my feed is full of joy. My feed is full of things and people that inspire me. Your feed is your outlook on life. What’s in your feed is probably what you’ve been clicking on, reading about, and focusing on. If you don’t like the feed or you want to blame social media, take a minute to own it and say, “Maybe I need to stop liking those things and stop clicking on those things. Maybe I need to start searching for other things that bring more joy, happiness, and expertise into my life.”
Personal Responsibility: Owning Your Path Amidst AI Transformation
That’s another part of this AI change as well. Some people are probably going to get mad at me for this. I think there’s a huge opportunity, and AI is possibly helping us be forced into that opportunity, to take ownership. It’s not, “AI is putting me out of a job.” It’s, “I’m putting myself out of a job because I’m not able to pivot. I’m not as good as I should be at my job. I haven’t dedicated myself to it. I haven’t taken the time to do my personal constitution that I learned on Jeffrey Saad’s show, The Circle, to see who I am and what I want to do in this world.” If you haven’t done all those things and you don’t have clarity, then don’t feel like a victim. Don’t blame the outside world because that’s not going to help you.
I can’t remember where I read it. As I always say in most of what I’m saying, I’m a parrot. I’m repeating it. I’m owning it. I’ve made these things a part of my soul to become a better person and hopefully share them with you to make your life better. One of the things I read ages ago was that until you accept responsibility for everything in your life, you won’t have the power to change anything.
I’m going to take responsibility for the fricking weather. It’s not my fault, but if I sit here and focus on the weather causing my problems, then I’m not in solution mode. I’m not in the right frame of mind. If you haven’t already done that, try to own that. Forget about being right. As you’ve heard in past episodes, being right is one of the most worthless things on earth unless it’s like, “I’m going to be right about how we should cross this bridge because it’s about to collapse.” That’s different. Those are the exceptions.
Most times, when people are trying to be right, it’s the ego. It’s, “I need to be right. I know this and you don’t.” It feels like a short-term rush, like a shot of crack. It’s like, “I’m right. It feels so rewarding. I Googled it. See?” That doesn’t help anybody or anything except your ego. Ownership is important. I don’t think it’s going to be as scary as most people think. It’s going to be an incredible opportunity.
Also, AI in general, I don’t think everyone should be worried that they’re going to be replaced. Don’t forget. You still have to be the one to prompt AI. As a chef, as a great example, if I go to AI and say, “Give me the greatest recipe for mac and cheese,” or, “Give me the greatest recipe for bolognese,” AI is going to give me the recipe. It’ll probably even give you some of the typical pitfalls.
If you don’t have the sensibility as an experienced cook or chef to see that the heat is a little too high and you need to turn it down because you want slow browning of that meat, and you want it to slowly crackle and get golden, then you’re going to add the veggies. If you add the veggies too soon, they release their water, and you’re never going to get color. I take half the meat out and leave it raw. I stir it in at the end after reducing the milk, tomato paste, red wine, and tomato sauce. It gives it a creamier meat texture as it simmers very slowly, versus if I had browned all the meat together.
Beyond Algorithms: The Irreplaceable Art Of Human Skill And Intuition
For all that stuff, there is no way AI is going to kick that out and make you, Joe Schmo, a great chef. Anybody with skills is still going to be valued. My knee surgeon said to me a few years ago when I got my knee replacement, “I could probably teach you to do this knee replacement in a week, but what I could never teach you without you going to medical school and spending decades learning it, doing it, and making mistakes is what to do when something goes wrong.”
AI is like, “Here’s how you open up the incision. Here’s how you put in the metal.” The second you hit an artery or a vein and blood starts spewing, you don’t even have time to AI it because the patient is going to bleed out. In real estate, it’s the same thing. I know realtors who are using AI for comp analysis for the client. I’m sure the good ones are using it as a headstart and then adjusting it.
I’m sure you’ve all read this. I’m not saying anything genius that nobody has heard of, but I’m hoping you’re learning it in a new way or in a slightly different way that helps you internalize it and do something good with it. It’s the process that makes it work. When I go through the comps for a client, even when I know it well or it’s an area I am an expert in and I know it like the back of my hand, I still get so much out of it when I click on each house and remind myself of the pictures, even if I’ve seen the house.
That’s another example. If you haven’t seen the house, pictures are not the same thing as being there. You don’t get the energy of the house. You don’t take in the floor plan, how the sun is coming up and down across the house, and all these little things. When you put together a comp analysis and you’ve seen the houses, going through all that and then summarizing it for the client is a different thing than saying, “AI, tell me. With this address, what are the houses that are most comparable in this area by price per square foot and selling price?”
It also can’t take in the subtleties. I call it tribal knowledge, the things that you can’t Google. There will always be things in life that are not searchable. They have to be learned. You’ve been in the neighborhood. You understand that the school’s about to open or close. You understand how the sun rises and sets. You understand the traffic patterns. These are things that are so visceral. As I’ve even said with Google, “Who cares if you can Google it? We, as experts, are the truth filters. We take that information that anybody could get, and then it’s up to us as wonderful professionals serving people to translate that information and have it be the truth filter of it.”
There will always be things in life that are not searchable. They have to be learned. Share on XWhen I do these real estate emails or summaries, it is ridiculous how many versions of what the market is doing I could give you. The inventory is up or down. The sales volume is up or down. The price per square foot is up or down. I could give you the averages and medians. Nothing is average. I can give you three different versions of whatever I want to because there’s data out there to support it, but they’re not valuable unless I understand which version affects your listing, the house that you’re selling, or what affects the house you want to buy the most. That’s the power.
If I tell you, “This house is priced way high for the neighborhood. Look at the report that AI gave me,” I would be doing you a huge disservice because you’re going to pass on the house, and somebody else buys it. Guess what? It was meant to sell for more, and it ends up selling for more. You can’t price emotions. I always say I’ve never actually sold a house. A client walks into a house, and they either feel it or they don’t. They either want to live there, raise their kids, have their parties, or whatever it is, or they don’t. I can’t force that. Even if I could convince somebody, which I wouldn’t want to, they’re going to end up changing their minds, be regretful, or be unhappy with me. That would mean I didn’t do my job.
The Niche Of Authenticity: Why “Old School” Is The New Cool
Another example is a Sherpa. I’ve always had so much respect for these Sherpas. All these people summit these mountains in Nepal and everywhere else. It feels like a personal victory, like, “I did it,” but most of them would admit to you, except for a handful, that the Sherpa is the one. They’re the ones that guided them. They’re the ones that carried half their stuff, if not all of it. They’re the ones that know which path to take based on what the weather is doing and when not to go forward. They even get caught. How could AI ever give you that learned, visceral information? Think about that.
There will always be a huge demand. That’s the other thing. There will always be a niche demand for what’s “old.” When digital cameras came out, people were like, “Photography is dead. For all these photographers, it’s over.” What happened? All of a sudden, photography with a regular old-fashioned camera becomes the coolest thing ever and is in demand. Those photographers are getting paid more for what they do. People want black and white on top of it. It’s not digital, but not color. There’s always going to be that niche.
Imagine this. Imagine you start a business, whatever it is, 5 years or 10 years from now, where AI has landed in the place it’s going to be, more or less, and you promote yourself as, “We use no AI.” You’re going to be this in-demand company. We have double the number of employees. I went to a coffee shop, and there was one guy working. To his credit, he had a nice smile and was doing his best, but it was a joke. There were 2 people in front of me, and it took 18 minutes to get an espresso.
That was a secondary opportunity to be peaceful, which I was, and to not “be waiting,” except with the present moment for what it is. I was doing my Spanish on my phone. I was talking to the guy in front of me about the tea he chose. I turned it into a lovely moment, but let’s face it. At the end of the day, a lot of people want to get in and out.
You’re not going to do more business by having one person working and getting nothing done. Why are they doing that? It’s probably because of labor costs, or maybe somebody called in sick. That makes you want robots. That makes you want AI. If they can’t afford to serve me, then I’d rather have it be automated. What about a business where you double the number of employees so that not only can you serve people quickly, but the employees can have chit-chat with every single guest because it feels good?
That’s the connection. In a world where everything is going to become robotic, automated, and without connection, what a great opportunity to have connection and efficiency. I’m guessing that business will ultimately do well, or maybe even make more than a similar business fully leaning into tech, because it’ll be missed. That interaction will be wanted. Know that if you’re good at what you do and you’re determined to do it because it’s who you believe you are, and you keep getting better at it, you’ll have an incredible niche.
Living In The Now: Embracing Change And The Power Of The Present
In finishing up and summarizing, more than ever, this is a time to be in the circle of control. Ultimately, everything I’m saying could be worthless or could be right. Who knows? Either way, it’s outside my control. What’s in my control is all the things that I’ve spoken of. I can get better. I can be optimistic. I can look for the niches and the ways that I will adapt to AI, and that will all be better.
I’m excited about this next episode. It’s about recapping Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now. This is what’s going on. You can fight it, or you can embrace it and be better. It’s the now. That’s all there will ever be. Whatever AI is going to do in the “future” doesn’t even exist because it will exist in the now. It’ll be a future day that you are in the present moment when that day comes. It’s always the now. If you can operate in the now, you have so much free time and less anxiety. We’ll talk about it in the next one. Thanks for tuning in. Have a beautiful day. Don’t be afraid of AI. You will thrive.