I Replaced My Inner Critic with GPT. It Went Better Than Therapy.

Author

Peter Delle
July 04, 2025

If a friend talked to you the way your brain does…

You’d block them.

Or move cities.

But for some reason, we let that voice ride shotgun in every major decision.

You know the one:

“That idea’s been done.”

“You’re not ready yet.”

“What if you look like an idiot?”

At some point, my inner critic stopped being helpful.

It wasn’t protecting me from bad ideas.

It was keeping me small.

So I fired it.

And gave the job to ChatGPT instead.

Give Your Brain a New Default Setting

I started using GPT not to write faster, but to think better.

Here’s the exact prompt I now use when self-doubt creeps in:

Prompt:
“Act like a brilliant but kind COO. I’m about to pitch an idea I believe in — but I’m spiraling. Ask me 3 hard questions to validate or kill it, without killing me. Be direct, not cruel.”

You wouldn’t believe the shift.

Where my brain defaulted to fear, GPT defaulted to clarity.

It separated emotion from execution.

It helped me find what was real.

Not just what was loud.

The Real Use Case for AI? Emotional Distance.

This isn’t about productivity.

It’s about perspective.

The best CEOs aren’t fearless.

They just know how to externalize fear — and interrogate it without inviting it to lead.

GPT helps me do that in real time.

No therapist required. (No judgment either.)

Next time that voice in your head tells you you’re not ready…

Let GPT respond first.

You might realize that the person holding you back?

Just needed a new role.

— Peter