Change Rarely Asks Permission
When I opened ChatGPT this week, a message popped up: “You’re now talking with GPT-5.”
I laughed out loud and thought WTF! Yep, I did. That was my first thought.
It felt like sitting down at a poker table where the stakes just got higher and the players got sharper — and no one bothered to warn me.
Here’s the thing. I’m 76, and I’ve already survived the dot-com bubble, dial-up Internet, and cell phones the size of bricks.
Every time the world “upgraded,” a part of me wanted to fold my cards and sit out of the effing game.
But I didn’t. And I won’t.
Because here’s the lesson: whether it’s poker, life, or technology, the game keeps changing. You don’t get to control the dealer. You only get to decide how you play the cards you’re given.
When I hear “upgrade,” my first thought isn’t excitement. And, as you can see, it’s irritation.
Ah crap! Another thing to learn. Another shift in the rules. Another chance to feel behind… again. Sigh…
Maybe you know that feeling, too, like everyone else is racing ahead while you’re stuck in neutral.
But Rules Can Change Every Day
When I was the real estate management broker for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, one thing remained constant. Change.
I had a choice: resist it or welcome it. And I chose the latter.
This was before the world we know today — before voice-activated Internet and before smart phones the size of a wallet with more brainpower than a room-sized computer in the 1980s. Take a moment and visualize that.
Then, on to the 1990s, the federal government communicated with us through snail mail and faxes. Phone calls were rare because we needed paper trails to prove who said what and why decisions were made.
So, here were the first words out of my mouth when I walked into the office every single morning: “What are our rules today?”
Before jumping into the day, I wanted to see the faxes, and any new mail. What might have changed overnight?
Unexpected Lesson
Looking back, I realize that was the birth of my pause.
The place where I stop, come into the now, and find my center before making hasty decisions.
And here’s what I’ve learned at the poker table — and in life:
The players who survive the longest aren’t the ones who always have the best cards.
They’re the ones who stay curious. Who keep their eyes open. Who don’t let fear make their decisions.
That’s what this AI thing is for me.
It’s not about replacing my voice. It’s about sharpening it.
It’s not about proving I’m “with it.” It’s about refusing to fold when the table situation shifts.
And if you’re reading this (or listening to me on the podcast), I bet you’ve felt the same tug in your heart in your own life.
Maybe it’s technology. Maybe it’s aging. Maybe it’s that moment when the old playbook just doesn’t work anymore.
The benefit isn’t in loving the change.
The benefit is in not letting change stop you from playing your authentic game.
Facing the Upgrade
So here I am, face-to-face with ChatGPT-5. Another upgrade. Another shift in the rules.
I could throw up my hands and say, “Too much. Too fast. Too late.”
Or I can pause, breathe, and lean in with curiosity.
So I asked Version 5 to tell me about the upgrade by giving me a short version along with a deep dive. I edited both to sound like me.
Here’s the short version.
Version 5 thinks faster, remembers better, and adapts closer to my voice. It’s like upgrading from being a decent poker player to becoming a seasoned pro who reads the table in real time.
How Version 5 Feels More Intuitive
Now for the deep dive.
Keeps more threads straight.
With Version 4, long conversations sometimes felt like a leaky bucket. Version 5 remembers better — like recalling how someone played earlier hands at the table.
Listens when I set a rule.
If I said, “no em dashes” or “too fluffy,” Version 4 might sneak them back in. Version 5 promises to fold that habit and stay in line.
Thinks in layers.
Version 4 skimmed the surface. Version 5 digs deeper, like weighing both the math and the table dynamics before making a call.
Sounds more like me.
My voice, my edge, my pauses — it mirrors me instead of polishing me into something I’m not.
Cuts the rambling.
Version 5 trims the fat and gives me more muscle.
(I sure hope all this stays true!)
My Playbook Updates
That’s the upgrade. Not about AI taking over. Not about losing my voice.
It’s about sharpening. Adapting. Staying curious.
Because whether it’s poker, life, or technology, the upgrades never stop. The dealer keeps sliding new cards across the felt.
We don’t get to pick the cards. We only get to choose how we play them.
And right now, this is the hand I’ve been dealt.
I’ll play it with presence. With curiosity. With the pause.
That’s how we stay in the game. And sometimes, that's how we win more often.
How do you handle change when it blindsides you? Comment and I’d love to hear your story.
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