2025 and Beyond: How Can You Be Your Inner Watchman? Can Artificial Intelligence Help With Self-Intelligence?

Being Human for a Better Tomorrow in the Age of AI

Recap and Rationale

In the previous (29th) edition of the Mindvista newsletter we asked “Can a prison design inspire personal growth?”

We transformed Bentham’s Panopticon — a prison design where a single watchman constantly observes all inmates for surveillance and control — into an Inner Watchman for self-awareness, learning and development, to navigate health, relationships, work, financial security and stability, connections with family, friends and society.

In addition, when we transform this concept for personal growth the nature of the gaze fundamentally changes, from external for discipline to an inner gaze based on honesty and optimism. The honest observation aligns with reality and evidence and answering “Are you better off today than a year ago?” needs optimism and action.

Looking at the interest the concept evoked, as a direct follow-up, this edition will outline the framework, practice, and resources to help you cultivate your Inner Watchman.

Framework

Below are some starter questions to spark reflection and move you towards action. Tailor them to fit your unique circumstances. The ultimate objective is to answer one core question:

“Are you better off today than you were a year ago?”

1. Physical and Mental Health

Key Questions:

Do you feel healthy? How can you tell? Are you making time for mindful leisure to recharge? If not, what do you need to do?

Inner Watchman Perspective:

Mental well-being drives physical well-being. Exhibit A is the rise of cardiovascular, diabetes, BP, neurological, and orthopedic issues in younger population, often triggered by stress, anxiety, and depression. There is no return on life without health.

2. Self-Relationship

Key Questions:

How do you feel about your life journey so far? Are your actions aligned with your values? Looking ahead, what can you do to avoid future regrets?

Inner Watchman Perspective:

A strong self-relationship is the bedrock of well-being. Can you be alone without feeling lonely?

3. Learning and Development

Key Questions:

What new skills or knowledge have you acquired in the last “1-3” years? What’s evolving in your work or personal pursuits? Are you investing time and resources to become your best self?

Inner Watchman Perspective:

Machines are learning continuously. The question is — are you?

4. Financial Security and Stability

Key Questions:

Do you and your family have sufficient assets to cover obligations and ensure a dignified, independent retirement? Do you intend to support the needy or support social or community cause? Do you know your current status, and do you have a plan to build the needed corpus quickly?

Inner Watchman Perspective:

Retirement punditry often centers on asset growth, returns, and inflation, yet overlooks expenses. Managing what you spend—whether necessary, reasonable, or excessive—can fast-track security. Beyond one’s lifetime, money means little, philosophically speaking.

5. Connections with Family and Friends

Key Questions:

Is anyone in your circle acting as an Inner Watchman? Are you fulfilling essential roles or truly partnering with your children and loved ones?

Inner Watchman Perspective:

Family and close friends matter, period. All other relationships are more transient.

6. Engagement at Work

Key Questions:

Are you retired, rewiring your approach, or rethinking your workplace? “Retire” implies meeting only the minimum expectations, “Rewire” means adapting to new changes, and “Rewrite” suggests leading change. How effectively do you manage upward, downward, and laterally? How strong is your social and reputation capital?

Inner Watchman Perspective:

If you’re neither building nor part of a team that’s building something, you’re missing out. Success here involves balancing explicit and implicit expectations, self-understanding, others’ perceptions, assertiveness, and cooperation—alongside aligning effort with rewards.

7. Involvement in Community and Society

Key Questions:

Do you aim to leave the world better than you found it? In which ways can you contribute?

Inner Watchman Perspective:

Location isn’t just critical for retail; it’s essential in life too. Participate in what’s happening around you locally and don’t limit yourself to screen-based interactions.

If you are interested to know more, the first eight Mindvista editions explore many of these topics like work, learning, and personal growth in detail.

Practice

1. Avoid Excessive Self-Criticism

Always include a list of today’s positives or assets. There should be something—even if small—to note.

2. Limit Over-Introspection

Although there are seven areas, you can start by focusing on three that you perceive as having the biggest gaps. Once you’re comfortable, incorporate the remaining domains in phases.

3. Reward Yourself

Celebrate when you follow through on your plans—acknowledge every step forward.

4. Use Clear and Evident Indicators

Keep assessments simple and measurable. You might adopt “good,” “could improve,” or “not yet” as categories to gauge where you stand.

5. Just Do It

Journal through writing, voice notes, or transcription. Make an entry whenever you have something to say, then update your journal every two weeks and review every quarter. Consistency is key; treat yourself each time you stick to this routine.

6. Focus on Actions Over Outcomes

Don’t get fixated on results. Concentrate on consistent steps in the right direction.

7. Keep a Sense of Humor and Creativity

Lightheartedness and personal art can relieve stress and spark fresh insights.

Resources

There is help in this journey.

1. Journaling

Journaling is an excellent first step—it clarifies your thoughts, alleviates burdens, and serves as a future point of reference.

Digital tools for journaling have transformed the way we capture our thoughts, offering convenience and enhanced features. Apps like Evernote, Day One, and Journey provide secure, cloud-based platforms where you can journal via text, voice, or even images.

These tools often come with features like tagging, search functions, reminders, and mood tracking, making reflection more interactive and organized. They support privacy with password protection and encryption, and allow for cross-device syncing, ensuring your journey of self-awareness is accessible anytime, anywhere.

2. Inner Watchman Friend

A second resource is a mentor who can help you unblock obstacles and problem-solve. Look for someone who is trustworthy, non-judgmental, a great listener, honest, perceptive, compassionate, empathetic, wise, insightful, supportive of your growth, respectful of boundaries, and consistently available.

While that might seem idealistic, such mentorships do exist, and you might find them if you look closely and remain open to possibilities.

3. Artificial Intelligence for Self-Intelligence

A third, more recent help is AI, which has become remarkably accessible over the past two years. Each Large Language Model (LLM) has distinct strengths, and some even complement each other:

Claude has its own personality, listens well, and will push back with its own viewpoints.
ChatGPT may not push back as much but is friendly and eager to help. It is creative.
Gemini is very factual and restrained.
Grok is thoughtful and well-suited for extended, deep conversations and fun!

Using a combination of LLMs can lead to intriguing reflective sessions. However, be mindful of security considerations—you can protect your privacy by avoiding personal identifiers, disabling certain training features, or using temporary chats.

The upside: LLMs often have free usage tiers, or a nominal monthly fee that’s about the cost of a dinner for two, and they’re available 24/7.

This article’s headline image highlights the transformation from the Panopticon’s structured surveillance on the left to a guiding lighthouse on the right—illuminating a vibrant landscape of self-awareness and possibilities, embodied by the Inner Watchman.

Building on that shift, we introduce a practical framework—complete with practices and resources—to bring the concept to life. The garden framework further extends this idea by depicting open spaces for reflection, journaling, and community, all grounded by a radiant “tree of life” symbolizing multiple domains of well-being.

Final Word

Over 12 editions (first 8 and the last 4), we’ve delved into work, well-being, and related topics. The Inner Watchman concept draws these themes together by shifting the traditional Panopticon from external surveillance and control to personal development and growth, supported by both human connections and technology.

Hopefully, you’ll find the Inner Watchman framework, practice, and resources both interesting and practical—an effective aid for self-development, personal fulfillment, and a future with fewer regrets.

What do you think? Like, share and comment please. Much appreciate.

As 2025 unfolds, keep asking yourself always that one pivotal question:
“Are you better off today than you were a year ago?” — and find an affirmative answer.

Best wishes

II. Questioning / Asking

Good conversations flow from well‑sequenced questions—topical, simple, coherent, cohesive.

LLM Conversation Example 1

Q: What are empirical judgments? 
A: Empirical judgments are based on observation, experience, or experimentation.

Q: What are moral judgments? 
A: Moral judgments are based on ethical principles and values.

“AI is a language. Treat it like one: practice, iterate, and mind your grammar prompts, assumptions, and verification.”

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