The Emergency Plan Nobody Thinks They Need
A personal reflection on major surgery, family support, health insurance, medical advocacy, living wills, and why every adult should prepare for a medical emergency before one happens.
Blog category
Personal Growth Posts
Published Colin Michaels blog posts in the Personal Growth category.
Nurses: The Hidden Angels of the Hospital
A heartfelt personal reflection on nurses, hospital recovery, patient vulnerability, compassion, dignity, and the quiet care that often goes unnoticed.
The Hardest Part of Recovery Wasn't Physical
A personal reflection on fear, confidence, recovery, and learning to trust yourself again after major heart surgery.
Cardiac Rehab Is Not What I Expected
A personal reflection on cardiac rehab, rebuilding strength after open-heart surgery, and learning that safe movement is a critical part of recovery.
Even Though You’re Wrong, You Can Still Be Right
Recovery has a way of forcing you to look back honestly. Sometimes the choices that felt right at the time turn out to be wrong later, but admitting that truth is where growth begins.
The Tools Are Here. Now It Is About Imagination.
AI has put powerful creative tools within reach. Now the real challenge is imagination, taste, persistence, and choosing what is worth building.
Digital Hoarding: Stop Saving Everything & Find What Matters
A practical guide to digital hoarding, file clutter, email overload, old backups, saved photos, videos, documents, and how AI can help organize your digital life without letting it overwhelm you.
Before You Click, Pay, or Panic: A Simple Scam Checklist
AI makes fake messages and voices easier to believe. Use this simple family scam checklist before anyone clicks, pays, shares information, or panics.
ChatGPT Privacy for Beginners: Memory, Temporary Chat, and What To Share
A plain-English guide to ChatGPT privacy habits, including when to use regular chat, memory, memory off, and Temporary Chat.
How to Use ChatGPT Study Mode Without Letting AI Do Your Homework
A plain-English guide for using ChatGPT Study Mode for hints, quizzes, and real learning instead of copy-paste homework answers.
Where Do You Meet People Anymore? Life After COVID
Since COVID, meeting people feels harder. I looked at loneliness, dating apps, third places, and a practical 30-day way to rebuild real connection.
Some Memories Never Stop Playing | Buckeye Lake 1993
A YouTube concert video took me back to Buckeye Lake in 1993, a maroon VW bus, my cousin, and the strange way music keeps our deepest memories alive.
Chrome Password Checkup: A 15-Minute Data-Breach Cleanup
Run Chrome Password Checkup, understand exposed, reused, and weak password warnings, and fix one compromised account in a focused 15-minute cleanup.
ChatGPT Projects: Organize a Family Trip in One Place
See how I’d use one ChatGPT Project to organize a family trip, keep files and chats together, reduce repeated context, and find the next action.
Scan Documents to PDF in iPhone Notes: A Beginner Guide
Scan paper documents into PDFs with iPhone Notes, name them clearly, search the scans later, and start reducing paper clutter one useful page at a time.
How I’d Start Learning AI in 2026: A One-Hour Beginner Plan
A calm, practical one-hour AI learning plan using OpenAI Academy: choose one beginner course, try one everyday task, check the result, and stay in control.
ChatGPT Finances: Find Bills and Subscriptions
A regular-person first look at ChatGPT Finances, with a 15-minute subscription check, privacy reminders, accuracy limits, and clear financial boundaries.
Get Paid to Read This Post: 5 Legit Ways to Earn Online
Compare five legitimate ways to earn or save money online, including cash back, research studies, user testing, AI training, and freelancing.
Two Weeks Can Change Everything
Returning to Pine Glades Natural Area after heart surgery, walking an entire trail with my mom, and realizing how much progress can happen in just two weeks.