Welcome to Issue 91 of Clearly YOU. Every second Wednesday, I serve up ideas that help you build success (and enjoy your work) using the magic combo of Clarity + Realness. Not a subscriber? Sign up now.
Stop overthinking the words you use online. Just stop.
I know it's hard, especially now that ChatGPT and all its bot friends are shouting advice.
But here's the thing:
Overthinking generally makes us complicate stuff that might otherwise be intuitive and simple. Here's my fav example:
If you fell in a well, would you holler up for someone to facilitate? Nope. You would scream HELP!
Now imagine that you hear that call for help - and you rescue them. Good for you!
Later, when you're being interviewed as the hero of the hour, which of these sentences would you be most likely to spit out?
- I facilitated the community member's release from the well.
- I implemented cutting edge processes to produce optimal outcomes for the affected individual.
- I helped them get out of the well.
It seems so obvious. But when you're in professional spaces, like websites, social platforms, project proposals, etc., common sense can get tossed to the wayside.
Don’t let it happen. The more you dress up your words, the less people recognize you.
Keep it real. That’s how connection happens.
Cool Quote
"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."
Albert Einstein, one of the greatest Physicists of all time
Easy Ways to Keep It Simple
🎙️ Talk it out.
Open Zoom and make a meeting with yourself. Hit record and just say what you want to say (like you’re explaining it to your grandmother). Ramble if you must. Let your favourite AI tool transcribe it and send it back to you. Boom. Instant rough draft, complete with the natural words and phrases that sound like you.
⏳ Let it simmer.
Overthinking makes us reactive. At some point, you just want to stop and call it done. But that urge? That’s your common sense yelling that things have gone off the rails. It’s not the moment to hit “send” or “publish.” Walk away. Give it an hour (a day’s even better). Then come back and read it out loud. Betcha ten bucks you’ll spot at least a line or two where you’re facilitating instead of just helping.
🤖 Don’t let ChatGPT have the last word.
AI doesn’t know you. It’ll happily polish your sentences until they sound like they were written by a beige committee of polite robots. Use it to get unstuck or clean things up, but make sure the final read-through is done by you. Out loud. If it doesn’t sound like something you’d actually say, fix it.
Stuff Worth Sharing
Last issue, I introduced How To Use AI and Still Sound Like YOU, my 5-day DIY option. Sorry to repeat myself, but it kinda fits with that last tip, so...
Five short lessons, delivered straight to your inbox.
🎯 Guaranteed to help you tame AI.
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📣 Reminder: Even if you tame the beast, don't let ChatGPT have the last word. Ever.
For the Word Nerds
Psychologists call overthinking rumination - a word borrowed from the Latin ruminare, meaning “to chew the cud.” Yes, like a cow. 🐄
The image fits a little too well: turning the same thought over and over until it’s been thoroughly digested into nothing.
There’s a whole buffet of words for overthinking: rumination if you’re academic, brooding if you’re poetic, catastrophizing if you’re me on a bad day.
But honestly? Overthinking says it best. It’s short, clear, and exactly what you’d say if you were talking to an actual person. Keep it simple. 🧠
🤫 Wanna Know A Secret?
This issue almost died of overthinking. I’ve had a stressful week. Words weren’t coming easily, and I leaned into AI, thinking it would be more clever than me. But guess what? Two hours in, I had a mass of gobbledygook that sounded nothing like me.
It would’ve taken a forensic audit to find the point.
So I followed my own advice: opened Zoom, had a me-to-me chat, remembered my tips, and pulled this issue together in about 30 minutes.
Is it perfect? Nope.
But it’s helpful. It makes sense. And it sounds like me.
📬 Got tips for slaying the dragon of overthinking? Hit reply or email me at kim@kimscaravelli.com. I’d love to hear them.
💌 Enjoying Clearly YOU?
Share it with a friend who craves a little more clarity (and a little less noise).
📖 Wish writing was less stressful and more... dare I say it... fun?
I've got you! Check out Making Words Work.
👋 And thanks for reading. I genuinely appreciate you.
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