Most personal development advice tells you to start with your dreams. Figure out what you love, set some goals, chase them. I thought that was the way to do it too. But it’s backwards.
I recently realized I’d been letting AI make decisions for me instead of the other way around. So I built something to fix it.
There’s this Greek word called TELOS. It means purpose. And the framework around it completely changed how I think about direction in life.
But here’s what surprised me: it doesn’t start with what you love. It starts with what pisses you off.
The Discovery
I was watching a NetworkChuck video. I thought it was going to be another AI video, so I figured I’d watch it.
Instead, I got hit with personal development.
The video featured Daniel Miessler (the guy who created Fabric) talking about this concept called a TELOS file. And the framework flipped everything I thought I knew about goal-setting upside down.
Most goal-setting approaches have you figure out your passions, your dreams, what you love doing. This framework started backwards.
It had you figure out three or four big problems in the world that bother you.
And that flip was everything for me.
Because I wasn’t asking AI to help me achieve my goals. I was asking AI what I should do. There’s a huge difference there.
One puts you in the driver’s seat. The other makes you a passenger in your own life.
The TELOS Framework
Here’s the full framework, section by section:
1. Problems (Start Here)
Ask yourself: What are three or four things in the world that genuinely frustrate you?
Not small annoyances. Big systemic issues you actually care about.
My three problems:
1. Society turning from God. I’m a pastor’s kid who walked away from faith for years and eventually found my way back. That journey shapes how I see everything.
2. Family courts destroying fathers. I’ve spent $250,000 on a custody battle that’s still ongoing. I’ve dealt with false accusations. I know this system from the inside.
3. Most people don’t understand emerging technology and will be left behind as the world changes faster than ever.
Notice I didn’t pick problems I’m currently solving. I picked problems that genuinely bother me. That’s the difference.
2. Loves & Strengths
You don’t want to be angry all the time. So balance the fire with fuel.
What genuinely excites you? What are you good at?
For me:
- Learning (insatiable curiosity)
- Technology, especially emerging tech
- Being a dad (time with Tanner is everything)
- Efficiency (I hate wasted time)
- God (He saved my life, foundation of everything else)
The problems are what drive you. They’re the fire. But the loves are what sustain you. What keeps you going when the fire burns you out.
You need both.
3. Missions
Now connect them.
For each problem, define a lifelong pursuit to address it. Start with action verbs: Demonstrate. Equip. Champion. Educate.
These aren’t one-time goals. They’re life directions.
My missions:
- Demonstrate authentic faith through how I live and the content I make
- Champion father’s rights and advocate for policy reform
- Educate people on emerging technologies so they can thrive instead of getting left behind
Here’s what caught me off guard: when I finished writing my missions, I read them back and realized they all said the same thing.
I’m a teacher. I break down complex things for people who are lost.
I didn’t plan that. It just happened.
4. Narratives
How do you explain this to someone else?
Create three versions:
- 15-word version
- One-sentence version
- 30-second pitch
My 15-word version: “I help people rise above broken systems, spiritually, financially, and legally, using technology.”
The 30-second pitch is the vulnerable one. It’s the story version that includes your journey, your struggles, and what you learned.
5. Goals + Metrics
Make it measurable.
For each mission, set one to three SMART goals. But here’s what’s critical: only measure outputs you can control. Not outcomes.
You can’t control subscribers and views. You can control videos published.
My examples:
- Publish 12 faith-focused videos by December 2026 (one a month)
- Create a Father’s Survival Guide resource by June 2026
- Publish 52 AI and tech videos (weekly consistency)
If the goal depends on other people’s behavior, it’s not a goal. It’s a wish.
Measure your outputs, not your outcomes.
Using Your TELOS File with AI
Here’s where it gets powerful.
I’ve been using my TELOS file as a context file when working with AI. Just to make sure everything I’m doing is lining up with my true purpose.
Here’s what happened the first time I used it:
I was trying to figure out my next video topic. Instead of asking “what should I make a video about?” (which is what I used to do), I loaded my TELOS file and asked:
“Given my mission to educate people on emerging tech, what gap in my content library should I fill next?”
It came back with something I never would have thought of on my own.
It said I had zero videos explaining the business model side of AI tools: how companies actually monetize them, privacy trade-offs, stuff like that. And it was right. Every video I’d made was “how to use X tool,” not “why X tool exists and who it actually serves.”
That one conversation completely changed how I approach content planning.
I went from AI directing my life to AI helping me achieve MY direction.
The Iteration Mindset
Don’t wait for the perfect problems or the perfect missions. Just ship the damn thing.
List the three things that come to mind right now. Iterate later.
Just because you list three problems doesn’t mean you can’t sit back down an hour later and change any of them.
You’re not marrying this file. You’re dating it.
See how it feels. Tweak it. Live with it. Evolve.
I’ve been updating mine for about a month now. It’s already different from version one. And that’s the point.
The Bottom Line
AI can’t design the life you want. Only you can.
But the TELOS file gives you the clarity to tell AI what you actually want. It takes you from passenger to driver.
The problems you identify become your compass. The missions become your direction. The goals become your accountability.
If you’re not the author of your own story, someone or something else is. Don’t let it be a language model.
Your Action Step
Open a document right now. Doesn’t matter what app.
Write down three things that piss you off about the world.
Write down three things you love doing.
You don’t need AI for this part. Just honesty.
Then iterate from there.
What’s one thing that frustrates you about the world and one thing you love doing? Drop a comment below.