finding my direction

i learned two things in class that helped me slow down: ikigai and the via strengths survey.
ikigai is about your reason for being—what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs.
via shows your top character strengths.
i used both to see what matters to me right now.

my ikigai

what i love right now

• taking care of myself, even if it’s temporary 
• going to the gym 
• coming home to my space and having distance 

what i’m good at

• empathy 
• reading what people feel without them saying it 
• being there without making it heavy 

what the world needs

• kindness 
• peace 
• love 

my via results

my top five strengths

• spirituality 
• social intelligence 
• kindness 
• perspective 
• humor 

they fit. spirituality keeps me steady. social intelligence helps me read people. kindness feels natural. perspective helps me step back. humor keeps things lighter.

the exact prompt i used with ai

this is the exact prompt i put into ai, with the choose-your-own-adventure instruction included:

based on my ikigai—self care, small control, peace, empathy—and on my top 5 strengths: spirituality, social intelligence, kindness, perspective, and humor, help me create a meaningful choose-your-own-adventure game idea. give me:

• a game title 
• a short premise 
• three branching paths with clear outcomes for each path 
• one short sample scene that includes 3 choices and the immediate consequences
  make it emotional and realistic. make it focused on small everyday moments and on decisions that reflect peace, boundaries, and kindness. 

ai’s response (what it gave me)

ai gave me a clear choose-your-own-adventure concept called quiet mind.

• title
  quiet mind 
• premise
  you move through short everyday scenes where noise and pressure build up. your choices shape how your day goes and how you feel. the game tracks balance: peace, stress, and connection. the goal is not to score points but to learn what choices help you keep your balance and how those choices affect people around you. 
• three branching paths (examples and outcomes) 
  • hold steady — you set boundaries calmly. outcome: you keep peace but miss a chance to connect. you feel safe. someone feels ignored. 
  • step in — you choose to help even when it costs you time. outcome: you build connection. you get drained. someone else gets real help. 
  • walk away — you protect your space and step back. outcome: immediate relief for you. later regret or relief depending on how you handle follow up. 
• sample scene with 3 choices and immediate consequences
  scene: you get home. your sibling knocks and wants to talk about a fight. you just finished a hard workout. your energy is low.
  choices: 
  • open the door and listen now — immediate effect: your stress rises. . next scene: your sibling cries; you decide how much to give. 
  • ask for 20 minutes, then listen — immediate effect: stress stays moderate.. next scene: your sibling waits and then is calmer. 
  • tell them you can’t talk and close the door — immediate effect: stress lowers.. next scene: your sibling feels hurt and may call later. 

AI also suggested guidance prompts in the game that link choices to your values (kindness, boundaries, perspective) and small micro-rewards that represent restored balance rather than points.

link to the chat i used
https://chat.openai.com/

Honest reflection on the ai suggestions

do these ideas match me? yes and no.

what worked

• The AI matched the tone i care about: calm, small moments, emotional choices. 
• quiet mind fits my ikigai. it focuses on peace, empathy, and control. 

What didn’t work

• ai’s first drafts felt a bit surface level. they hit the idea but didn’t go deep into messy feelings. 
• i need scenes that feel exactly like my life, not like a generic calm game. ai didn’t know my small details unless i told it. 

Would I use the ai output as is? no.
i would keep prompting. i would push for deeper scenes. i would add concrete details that make choices hard and messy. i would ask ai to write multiple alternate scenes for the same choice so i can pick the one that actually lands.

did i forget to tell it to do choose-your-own-adventure? not anymore. i corrected the prompt and the ai gave me branching paths. good. But I still have to make the scenes real.

are these games the kind of game i want? they are close. i like the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure form. i want more texture and more consequences that don’t feel moralizing. i want grey zones.

I also have my own ideas that feel different and truer. for example: a version that tracks boundaries with a “recovery meter” and forces you to choose between short term help and long term stability. ai hinted at this. i want to build it.