On Divorcing With Beliefs

I was talking with my brother today about a dilemma he’s been stuck in.

He’s trying to legally operate a snow cone stand on our property — but he’s running into zoning issues with the city.

It’s a mess.

There are codes, permits, zoning overlays, neighborhood plans, forms, appeals — the kind of red tape that makes you question every life decision that got you to this point.

He told me he spent 9 straight hours one day going down Google rabbit holes, taking notes, and trying to piece together a plan.

Then I showed up to his house.

He started explaining where he was stuck — what he was trying to figure out, what forms he needed, who to contact.

While he talked, I just started typing everything into ChatGPT.

And within minutes, we had:

• A full legal game plan

• Drafted letters to the city council

• Petition language ready to go

• Emails to relevant officials

• A tailored argument based on the neighborhood development plan (which we also found on ChatGPT)

• A downloadable, editable PDF version of his letter

• Names and contact info for the right people to send it to

  
  

He stared at the screen and said:

“God damn. This is unbelievable. It just did in minutes what I spent all day trying to do. This could have saved me a whole day.”

And here’s the best part:

Just a few days ago, he was one of those people who said, “I don’t trust all that AI stuff.”

But by the end of our session, he was downloading ChatGPT to his phone.

Here’s the real point:

Don’t get married to your beliefs — especially the ones about how things “should” be done.

Beliefs are useful until they slow you down.

Being open to better tools doesn’t make you lazy.It makes you efficient.

Your stubbornness isn’t a personality trait.It might just be costing you time, money, and momentum.

You don’t have to believe in something forever just because you believed in it yesterday.

Adapt.

Try the thing.

See if it works.

And if it does?

Great — welcome to the faster path.