Want to Improve Your Decision-Making?

In March 2020, I was due to go on holiday, but a little-known virus decided to change my plans.

A few weeks before the lockdown, my wife asked me if I thought this virus could be serious.

"It'll be over in a few weeks." I said.

How wrong was I.

Even though all the information was there for me to see, I didn’t see it.

I was deluded by what I wanted to be true—an example of what Morgan Housel calls an appealing fiction.

What Are Appealing Fictions?

An appealing fiction is when we believe the story we’re telling ourselves despite the facts saying otherwise.

We’re so blinded by emotions from the story we tell ourselves, that we miss the obvious facts.

Why Reflect on Appealing Fictions?

Reflecting on appealing fictions makes you take a step back. You're able to analyse the story you're telling yourself without being clouded by emotions.

To help you reflect on your appealing fictions try this journal prompt:

Write about a time when you believed something strongly, even though the facts didn’t support it.

Why did you hold on to that belief, and how did it affect your choices?

How might understanding "appealing fictions" help you make better decisions in the future.

Through learning from our past decisions, we can improve how we approach the future.

Recognising and questioning the appealing fictions we've believed in the past helps reframe mistakes as valuable tools for growth—helping us move forward with more clarity and better judgment.

Reflecting on our mistakes helps us avoid making the same ones again and again.

Don’t let your beliefs dictate your reality.

Take a moment to journal about your own appealing fictions today.

Let me know what you discover!

Your breakthrough might inspire others too.

Until next week,

Stay thriving,

Shoaib.