The biggest lie you tell yourself every day is that you’re thinking rationally, but in reality, you are not as logical as you think.

Arthur Schopenhauer, one of history’s most crucial thinkers, argued that most of our decisions are not driven by logic.

They are driven by something that he called “the ‘Will”, an irrational force pushing our desires, emotions, and impulses.

Think about it.

Did you ever buy something you didn’t need?

Have you ever stayed in a bad relationship?

Or have you ever ignored obvious red flags and allowed problems to grow?

According to Schopenhauer, your mind wasn’t leading you. Your desires were. And then your brain created a story to justify your bad decisions afterward.

Schopenhauer believed that truth is uncomfortable because it forces us to see reality as it is, not as we would like it to be.

Sometimes, people do not want to see the truth because reality clashes with their wishes.

What is Schopenhauer’s solution?

Stop chasing every desire.

Question your motives.

And when something feels true, ask yourself:

Do I believe this because it’s reality, or because I just want it to be true?

Schopenhauer said that finding the truth is not about feeling good.

It is about pushing ourselves to see clearly.

Truth sometimes hurts, but delusion will cost us much more.

If you are interested in applying rational ideas in all sorts of situations, I recommend my book “The 10 Principles of Rational Living”