MAKING MY PEACE … with AI in the workplace
… Breaking Through Self-Doubt in the Age of AI – for the anxious but hopeful …
Artificial Intelligence in the workplace is the current topic of conversation in my sphere and many people are not comfortable with it. Tom Booly’s 2025 book Breaking Through Self-Doubt in the Age of AI provides a guide for midlife professionals who feel anxious about keeping up with the rapid pace of technology. Instead of writing about coding or AI mastery, Booly aims to dismantle limiting beliefs and to build workers’ confidence.
The early chapters identify people’s inner critic and cultural myths about “digital natives vs. digital immigrants” that fuel tech anxiety. The middle chapters provide ways to reframe the myths, as well as providing practical exercises and real-world stories of professionals stumbling (and recovering) while experimenting with AI. The later chapters expand into sustaining confidence, integrating human strengths with technology, and leaving a confidence-based legacy.
With humour and honesty, Tom Booly transforms “failures” into lessons. To do this, he uses practical tools, reframing worksheets, “I’m learning …” statements, and the ideas of setting “ridiculously low standards” to get started in gaining confidence with AI in the workplace. He states, “Success in the AI age isn’t about mastering every tool overnight — it’s about becoming comfortable looking foolish while you figure it out.”
His approach to overcoming self-doubt in using AI, and in keeping up with the continual, fast-paced changes, include the following:
Fear = Caring: Your tech anxiety is a sign of engagement, not weakness.
Tiny Steps Matter: Break down learning into small, winnable experiments.
Stop the Comparison Game: Everyone else’s “fluency” in AI is just a highlight reel — you’re not behind.
Your Strengths are Human: Empathy, wisdom, creativity, and resilience are irreplaceable.
In Breaking Through Self-Doubt in the Age of AI, he provides some exercises, such as:
Spot Your Inner Critic: Write down one self-doubt statement (“I’m too old to learn this”) and reframe it into a learning statement (“I’m learning at my own pace”).
Micro-Challenge: Pick low-stakes ways to try AI (ask an AI tool to draft a grocery list or summarize a short article) while gaining familiarity with AI.
Celebrate the Win: Mark your small success with a ritual: do a fist-pump, or share your achievement with a friend, or treat yourself to your favourite tea.
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Making my peace with AI in the workplace, I try the following:
Reframe doubt as proof that I care: I tell myself that any anxiety I have about “falling behind” in AI acceptance is evidence that I want to keep growing professionally. But personally, I admit that I don’t trust the quality of AI and I still have many concerns, especially with ethics and creativity, so I check and heavily edit AI’s responses.
Take micro-steps: I try one small low-stake experiment with technology building up gradually to high-stakes implementation.
Shift comparison habits: I try to stop benchmarking my beginnings with AI against others’ levels of uptake.
Remember my strengths: I remind myself that AI (to date) may be able to process data but only humans bring wisdom, empathy, nuance, personality, and fun to the workplace.
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Rainy Day Healing blogs: “This kind of quiet, honest reflection is exactly what makes Rainy Day Healing such a special space.” Chaz. T., USA
In a world of sensory overload, Tranquility Mapping offers a gentle, creative way to reconnect with peace and calm, and recreate restorative spaces. Whether you’re seeking stillness in a busy home, serenity in a classroom, or relief in a hectic office, this guide gives you the tools to map and reshape your environment to support your well-being. Whether you have a garden, one room or an entire building to work with, this guide helps you transform your everyday spaces into sanctuaries of stillness.
Includes: Tranquility Mapping templates and examples (for home, classroom, school, and office); A Tranquility Toolkit checklist (sound, scent, sight, and texture tools); A teacher’s guide to mapping calm with students; A list of workshop questions and techniques for working with groups; Real-life inspiration based on research on peace and tranquility.
Ideal for: Anyone seeking a sensory-friendly space and a place of quietude; Teachers and educators designing calm corners for students in classrooms and learning spaces; Families, parents, and caregivers wanting to create calm for children, seniors, and all members; Therapists, coaches, and wellness professionals; Human resource personnel, office planners, and office workers reclaiming restorative spaces.
Map your way back to tranquility. Map emotional geography in real life. Feel the benefits of restorative spaces. If you have a notebook, blank paper, pencils, crayons or highlighters, and optional stickers and sticky notes, you can begin. You don’t have to wait for peace to find you. You can find it, design it, and return to it anytime. You can design the tranquility you want to feel.
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