I Thought Google Was the Key to Learning...

Until I Sat at My In-Law's Kitchen Table

Author

Sterling Long
May 10, 2025

It was December 27th, 2022.

I was sitting at the kitchen table in my in-laws' home, tapping away at code.
To my right, my father-in-law, a chiropractor, was trying to build a Python script.

He’d never written code before. Not really.
But he was determined to create something that would save him time in his practice.

Every few minutes, he’d ask me a question.
I’d lean over, glance at his screen, and say:

“Ask ChatGPT. Here, let me help you word the question right.”

That became our rhythm for three days.

By the end of it:
✅ I’d completed a software library for a client and made $6,000.
✅ He’d built a working tool that saved him 4 hours a week.
✅ And neither of us had written most of the code, ChatGPT had.

That was the moment everything flipped.

The real kicker: ChatGPT was released on November 30th, 2022.
It had only been out for ONE MONTH!

The Belief That Had to Break

Up until that week, I thought Google was the gold standard.
You want to learn something? You search it. You scroll. You sift through articles.

But this time… Google wasn’t fast enough.
It wasn’t clear enough.
And it sure as heck didn’t build the fetching thing for us.

Google was now the wrong answer (INSANE!).
ChatGPT was the right one, a teacher AND a builder in one.

The Realization

Watching ChatGPT write my code was incredible.
But watching it teach my father-in-law, a complete beginner, how to code something functional?

That cracked reality open.

If someone who’d never coded before could build a time-saving tool in 3 days… what else could this thing unlock?

The Authentic AI Framework

From that day forward, I started using AI for everything:

Learning

  • Troubleshooting around the house

  • Learning how to structure projects

  • Getting instant clarity and coaching on problems

Exploring

  • Training AI to THINK like me

  • Replicating my writing, coding, and strategic thinking

  • Using AI to amplify, not replace, my creativity

Executing

  • Writing proposals and closing deals

  • Launching offers (sometimes in a few hours)

  • Building code, books, and courses at lightning speed

I was giving my ideas a power tool, they no longer sat in the corner waiting.
They came to life!
If that isn’t AUTHENTIC AI, I don’t know what is.

The Transformation

Since then, my life has changed, in real numbers and real ways.

✅ I earned $80K in the year I embraced AI (and I still had no idea what I was doing!)
✅ I launched courses, closed clients, and built like never before
✅ And I reclaimed time to be with my family and pursue my own projects (like reading a good book in the sun)

But the biggest shift?

I began to play again.
Play with ideas.
Play with code.
Play my thoughts into reality.

You can call it vibing if you wish.
I want to PLAY POWERFULLY. To really be in that flow state.
That’s my authentic place to be.
And ChatGPT and other AI tools make that a possibility.

And I’ve never felt more confident, creative, or playful, since AI became my teacher, my builder, and my partner in play.

Want to Play Too?

If any part of this story lit something up in you, a “what if” or “could I?”
then I’d love to work with you.

Expressing MORE OF YOU with AI is what authentic AI is all about.

I’m launching my next cohort of Authentic AI Blueprint for Coaches and Consultants on June 5th.

Three people have already booked a call to explore joining the next cohort.

I’d love to hop on a call with you to see if it makes sense for you!

This isn’t a sales call. I sincerely want to understand your plan, how you want to use AI authentically!

Let’s build something amazing together.

Your friend and AI Coach,
Sterling Long!