Self Deceit- You’re the easiest person to fool.

By: Bradley Binversie

“Nothing is easier than self-deceit. For what each man wishes, he believes to be true.”
-Demosthenes

Desire, similar to fear can cloud our rational thinking and is equally as dangerous. It’s important that when we’re making decisions and evaluating that we try to understand our own biases. When we want something so badly to be true, we can consciously and subconsciously seek out information that impacts our thinking to support the outcome we desire.

Most people spend their time and energy seeking out materials that validate and confirm what they already believe.

In business, we want to be successful so badly that we make reckless decisions based on poor facts. In investing we fall into speculative behaviors because we want to be wealthy. We justify a partner’s poor behavior because we deeply desire love. We like drinking alcohol, so we search out the scientific studies that say drinking wine or alcohol is good for us. The list could go on, but this is a dangerous line of thinking and behavior.

A couple things I am trying to do more of:
1. Ask myself, are my desires are clouding my thoughts and affecting my decision making. Am I thinking rationally based on fact or hope because I want something so badly?
2. Surrounding myself with a couple people who will speak candidly with me about my thought processes. This doesn’t mean I listen to everything they say, but it’s important for me to have a sounding board that will question my thought processes.

We need to be careful how we choose our confidants and their motivations. Many people seek advice from people that work for them or who are reliant on them for money, promotions, or even social advancement. This can create an echo chamber of people amplifying what we already believe. Essentially supporting our biases, whether rational or not.

It is healthy to challenge our ideas and thinking. Rational thinking is very difficult because we’re humans with real emotions, fears, and desires. But if we’re at least aware that our desires can affect our thought process, perhaps we set up some processes to make better decisions.