The argument that's divided my family

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My wife and I have been having an argument for 20 years.

And it's not even about anything that really matters.

It's about a film (or movie for my American readers).

It stars Gwyneth Paltrow and that chap out of Four Weddings who isn't Hugh Grant (I'm terrible at remembering names of actors and actresses)....

... and it's called Sliding Doors.

In case you've not seen it, here's a quick summary.

Gwyneth Paltrow (who's called Helen in the film) gets fired from her job and then, as she's heading home, she drops her earring.

Not-Hugh-Grant picks it up for her, but the slight delay means she misses her train by a split second – the eponymous sliding doors of the carriage closing in her face just as she reaches them.

But then, the film rewinds and we see the same scene again. Only this time....

.... Helen manages to board the train just in time.

Throughout the rest of the film, we alternate between seeing how these two different versions of Helen's life – the one where she catches the train and the one where she doesn't – play out.

And they certainly play out very differently.....

I won't spoil it for you by giving all the details, but in the version of her life where she manages to board the train, Helen's luck quickly changes....

... because she now gets home in time to catch her boyfriend in bed with another woman!

But in the other version, where Helen misses the train by seconds, her boyfriend's other woman has left by the time Helen gets home and so she remains in the dark about his affair – which means her life takes a very different path.

As for which version has the happier ending (and which version not-Hugh-Grant features in the most).... well, you'll have to go and watch the film to find out!

But, in the meantime, you're probably wondering: How has Sliding Doors caused such a strain on David's marriage for the past 20 years?

Well, it's because I think it's a brilliant film.

Whereas my wife thinks it's a pile of shite.

To add insult to injury, my two children have both taken my wife's side in this long-running disagreement -- without even having watched the film themselves!

But I digress.

The point about Sliding Doors – and the thing that, despite Mrs M's protestations, makes it a great film – is that it shows how...

... one fleeting moment….

... one little twist of fate.…

... one small decision or missed opportunity....

... can have MASSIVE consequences.

And that's what you're left pondering in relation to your own life as the credits roll.

But here's what strikes me about all this.

The fact that one small decision or missed opportunity can cause a huge change isn't just true when it comes to everyday life.

It's true in your business too.

Little hinges slide swing big doors, as the saying goes!

So…

Which doors are you failing to open?

Which opportunities are you missing?

Well, I'll tell you...

If you're a solo business owner who's not staying current with AI developments, you might be missing out on the biggest sliding doors moment of our generation.

Because while some business owners are learning to harness AI tools effectively, others are falling further behind every day.

And here's a quick example of what I mean.

Most people using ChatGPT just stick with whatever the current default model is – which is 4o at the moment. And 4o is brilliant for most tasks, such as:

• Content creation (writing, editing, brainstorming topic ideas)

• General business tasks

• Customer communication

• Research and summarisation

• Image generation

But here's what most people don't know: there's another model included in the standard $20pm plan that's better for certain types of work. It’s called o3 and it’s specifically designed for:

• Complex reasoning and problem-solving tasks

• Mathematical calculations and analysis

• Strategic planning and decision-making

• Technical troubleshooting

• Multi-step logical processes

So if, for example, you wanted to download a CSV file with all the data from your Facebook Ads campaign and get AI to analyse which ads you should keep running and which ones you should pause….

….well then o3 is the ChatGPT model you should go for.

But if you want to create a scroll-stopping image for a new ad in that campaign then you should stick to the default 4o model.

In summary: o3 is the "deep thinking" model that takes longer but gives superior reasoning for complex tasks. Most of the time, 4o's speed and versatility is exactly what you need. But when you're tackling something that requires serious analytical horsepower, o3 is worth the extra wait.

This kind of strategic AI knowledge is exactly what separates business owners who thrive in the AI era from those who get left behind.

I’ll be sharing more AI tips in this newsletter over the coming weeks and months so do stick around for those.

And you can also check out this week’s sponsor – Superhuman AI — for a daily dose of all the latest AI news. There’s a link to them at the bottom of this email.

Because staying informed is the best way to make sure you catch the right train when it matters.

All the best,
David

PS – if you do end up watching Sliding Doors after reading this (or if you’ve already seen it), do drop me an email back and let me know whose side you're on in the great Miles family film debate!

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