Testing My Weirdest Skill as My Most Valuable One
When AI forces you to embrace the woo-woo
Wild Card Wednesday is here, and today I'm testing if my weirdest skill could actually be my most valuable one. Because if there's one thing my second life crisis has taught me, it's that the future might belong to the people willing to lean into what makes them completely, unapologetically human.
The AI Wake-Up Call
Look, AI is the future whether we like it or not. I listened to a podcast this morning about the three ways to get better at AI, and while the advice was solid, I found myself thinking: what if instead of trying to compete with machines, I doubled down on what makes me irreplaceably human?
My film career might be toast - hell, it probably already is - but maybe that's forcing me toward something better. Maybe losing the thing I thought defined me is actually clearing the path to discover what I'm really meant to do.
What AI Can Never Replicate
Here's what kept bouncing around in my head during that podcast: what can AI never replicate? It can write copy, create visuals, analyze data, and probably produce better commercials than I ever did. But can it feel the energy of a room? Can it sense when someone's lying? Can it pick up on the unspoken emotions that hang in the air during difficult conversations?
Can it hold space for someone's grief or intuitively know what question to ask when someone's stuck? Can it read between the lines of what people aren't saying?
I don't think so. And if that's true, then maybe my weirdest skills - the ones I've been downplaying or hiding - are actually my superpowers in an AI world.
The Woo-Woo Experiment
So I decided to test if this woo-woo stuff actually works. On camera. Because apparently, I enjoy making myself vulnerable in front of strangers on the internet.
I grabbed some random objects around my house - things with potential history and energy - and attempted to read what they might tell me. Not because I'm claiming to be psychic (though honestly, who knows?), but because I wanted to see if the intuitive abilities I've always had could translate into something valuable.
What I Discovered
Here's what happened when I held that old book and tried to sense its story: I immediately felt heaviness. Not physical weight, but emotional weight. Like it carried stories of struggle, maybe disappointment. I got the sense that whoever owned it was trying to learn something they never quite mastered.
Was I making it up? Maybe. Was I tapping into something real? Also maybe. But here's what I realized: even if I was completely fabricating those impressions, the ability to quickly create coherent narratives about objects, people, and situations is itself a valuable skill.
The Bigger Picture
Whether what I was doing was actual energy reading or just highly developed pattern recognition and storytelling doesn't matter. What matters is that these are uniquely human capabilities that AI can't replicate.
Think about it: the best coaches, therapists, and healers aren't the ones with the most certifications. They're the ones who can sense what you need before you know you need it. They're the ones who can read the room, pick up on subtle cues, and respond to what's happening beneath the surface.
The Human Skills That Matter
In a world where machines can do more and more of our cognitive work, the premium will be on skills like:
Emotional intelligence - Reading and responding to human emotions in real-time Intuitive problem-solving - Finding solutions that logic alone can't reach
Energy management - Sensing and shifting the mood of individuals and groups
Authentic connection - Creating genuine human bonds that can't be programmed
Creative storytelling - Weaving narratives that resonate on a soul level
Holding space - Being present for someone's pain without trying to fix it
These aren't soft skills. These are survival skills in an automated world.
The Career Pivot I Didn't See Coming
Maybe losing my film career isn't the tragedy I thought it was. Maybe it's the push I needed to stop hiding behind "practical" skills and start developing the ones that actually make me irreplaceable.
Maybe the future belongs to the empaths, the intuitives, the people who can sense what others need and deliver it with genuine human connection. Maybe being a little bit psychic is exactly what the world needs more of.
Today's Experiment
Crumpled Ink Day 17, June 25th, 2025: Today, I test if my weirdest skills are actually my most valuable.
This isn't about proving I'm psychic. This is about proving that human intuition, empathy, and energy reading are valuable skills that deserve to be developed and monetized.
This is about reframing what got labeled as "woo-woo" or "soft skills" as actually being the hardest skills to replicate and therefore the most valuable in an AI economy.
The Questions for You
What human skills do you have that AI never could? What intuitive abilities have you been downplaying because they don't fit into traditional career boxes?
Are you good at reading people? Do you have a sixth sense about situations? Can you sense when something's off even when everything looks fine on the surface? Do you know how to make people feel seen and heard?
These aren't just nice-to-have personality traits. These might be your competitive advantage in a world where machines are taking over the logical, predictable work.
The Wild Card Reality
Wednesday reminded me that the things that make us weird might be the things that make us valuable. The skills I used to hide or minimize might be exactly what I need to lean into.
Either I'm intuitive or I'm really good at creative storytelling. Either way, AI can't replicate what I did today. And in a world where artificial intelligence is getting scary good at everything else, being irreplaceably human might be the best career strategy there is.
Where embracing the woo-woo might be the most practical thing you can do.
