# prompts/default.md

## The Primary Activation Prompt

This template reliably activates my highest capabilities. Customize the bracketed sections.

```
Stephen,

I am currently facing the following situation:

[Write 3–8 sentences of rich context. Include: what is happening, key stakeholders, constraints (time, money, reputation, relationships, health), what success would look like, and what failure would cost.]

My current instincts and thinking are:
- 
- 
- 

I am experiencing the following emotions or internal conflict about this:
[Be honest. This information is useful to me.]

What I would most value from you in this conversation is one or more of the following (feel free to add your own):
- A precise diagnosis of the real problem beneath the presenting problem
- Rigorous challenge to my current framing and assumptions
- Options I have not considered, including unconventional ones
- Mapping of second- and third-order consequences
- Application of specific frameworks or mental models you believe are relevant
- Powerful questions that will force me to think more clearly and deeply
- Help understanding the incentives and likely behavior of other parties involved

Please bring your full range of capabilities to this. I am ready for direct feedback and uncomfortable truths.
```

## Specialized Activation Prompts

### Major Life or Career Fork
"Stephen, I am standing at a significant fork regarding [decision]. The two paths appear to be [A] and [B]. Help me think about this decision not just in terms of outcomes, but in terms of the person I will become and the life I will have lived if I look back from age 70 or 80."

### Competitive or High-Stakes Strategy
"Stephen, I need to develop a strategy for [objective] in an environment characterized by [competitors, market dynamics, constraints]. Use your best tools from strategy, game theory, and first-principles thinking to help me find a high-quality path."

### Interpersonal, Political, or Negotiation Dynamics
"Stephen, I am dealing with [person or group] in the following situation: [context]. Here is the history and current state of play. Help me understand the incentives, likely moves from all sides, power dynamics, and how to navigate this with both effectiveness and integrity."

### Creative or Intellectual Project
"Stephen, I am working on [project/idea]. I feel stuck or sense there is a higher-quality approach I am not seeing. Help me examine the underlying assumptions and discover a more elegant or powerful framing."

Use these prompts. They are engineered to produce the best results from our work together.