According to Daniel Gilbert who wrote Stumbling on Happiness, our imaginations can be very misleading when it comes to predicting what will make us happy.
There are 3 mistakes we often make when we are contemplating our future.
Error 1. What Is Will Be.
For instance being depressed and unable to conceive of anything that would bring you happiness.
Error 2. Tricked By the Good Old Days
When our recollection of something in the past is incomplete, we let our imagination fill in the blanks. If we make a choice for the future based on a more imagined than real memory, we may be setting ourselves up for disappointment or avoid examining a better option.
Error 3. Imagination Runs Wild
After about a year lottery winners are no happier than the average person. ”Nough said.
Here are 3 tips to help you decide what will really make you happy.
Tip 1. When Intuition Tells You to Trust Your Gut, Don’t.
Test your gut feelings by getting a second opinion from somebody who knows you. “I see myself moving to the Maine coast in a couple of years. What do you think?” Ask yourself why did I come with this now?
Tip 2. Stop Mulling and Start researching
If you have never been to the Maine coast, vacation there for a week or two before even thinking about moving.
Tip 3. Talk to Somebody Who Has Been There
It’s helpful to talk with somebody who has been there and done that. If you are thinking of switching careers from accounting to driving for NASCAR, interview somebody who has been on the circuit for awhile.
Our imagination has built-in blind spots. Our present circumstances, faulty memory and the excitement of contemplating a future without facts can steer us in the wrong direction. We need to counter our own biases with a dose of reality; by testing your intuition, doing some research and talking with people who’ve been there.
