As the world continues its excitement, fantasies, anxiety, and wonder about AI, ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini among the 1,000’s of use cases being solved for literally by the minute you may feel as if this world of code, be it low code or no code is way out of your everyday existence. You may even confidently believe that coding and algorithms have no impact on you.
WRONG.
Well, yes, you are wrong because coding is innately human. No, I have not taken one too many of those pink pills today and trust me, you are a coder.
You might not write in Python, Java, or COBOL, but on this one, trust me — you are coding every day. Not with syntax and semicolons, but with something even more powerful: your words.
Your Code
We are born as blank slates, a clear canvas, until the humans around us trigger the code, and one word at a time, the programming starts. In fact, it starts way before birth, however, that’s a topic for a different day 🙂.
All our family, societal, or religious codes are different. Just like Cobol, Python, Java, or SQL are different, driving different outputs. Now, depending on the code used on our blank canvas, we are shaped, crafted, and wired in specific ways. This code shapes our beliefs, influences how we behave, and in many ways defines who and what we become.
Just like code, we can reflect on the outcomes of our programs and retain what works, or rewire, re-code what doesn’t, because the code that used to be effective may no longer be optimal in unlocking and enabling your potential.
Perhaps Python or C++ are better options than Fortran these days. Perhaps words opening up possibilities rather than ones limiting them are better for the you who dreams of something different. Perhaps I AM statements are better code for your dreams (I AM capable, worthy, and loved) rather than limiting AM I questions (AM I capable, worthy and loved) based on past code.
Words are the original code. They shape thoughts, build beliefs, define self-worth, and influence decisions — yours and those around you. Like lines of software code, the words you regularly use craft possibilities or build prisons, and underpin an entire lifetime of programs running silently in the background (often unseen yet powerfully influencing every aspect of your life).
Consider some of these phrases:
- “You’re no good at maths, it runs in the family.”
- “That’s not how people like us do things.”
These are legacy lines of code written by parents, teachers, and society, often left running unchecked for years. The result? A system (you) functioning below its potential, following outdated instructions. Would you run your laptop or cell phone on outdated software?
No?
Then why are you so comfortable running your life on code left unchecked for years, even though warning signs are flashing and screaming for an urgent update?
Time for an Update
Code can be rewritten. It is NEVER permanent, even if you are reprogramming a large old school mainframe system, ie. a long life of limiting word habits (poor quality legacy code).
You see, similar to a developer upgrading an ineffective COBOL program to something more agile and relevant, you can rewrite your internal script, your life story:
- Replacing “I’m not good enough” with “I’m learning — and that’s incredible.”
- Switch “That’s impossible” with “Let’s give something new a shot.”
Doing something GREAT is YOUR choice.
Tech is not just coding, it’s strategy, storytelling, solving problems, it’s building communities, establishing relationships, maintaining friendships, and yes, using YOUR words to inspire action, shape the life of your dreams & contribute to building a future worth logging into.
Every encouraging word you speak to yourself or someone else is similar to a patch, a debug, or a new feature release.
So, whether it’s within your relationships, your family, your team, or your life, remember:
You are a coder.
Your words are your code, and every day, you’re either programming new possibilities or reinforcing limiting legacy code.
Start imagining what you could build with your words, your skills, and your curiosity, because your words are shaping your life, and who knows, maybe they are coding the future.
Make sure it’s a future worth logging into.