Studies in psychology show that we have a surprisingly poor ability to predict our future emotional states—a phenomenon known as "affective forecasting error." We consistently overestimate how happy a new car will make us, or how devastated we'll be by a setback.

This means you are making decisions for a "future self" whose preferences you don't fully understand. That's a scary thought! So, how do you choose wisely?

You do it by not locking that future self into a decision. You prioritize flexibility. You choose paths that can be reversed. Instead of buying the house in the country, you rent for six months. Instead of committing to a new career, you take a night class.

Safe decisions are decisions that give your future self—that stranger you will one day become—the freedom to change their mind.