Rational Vs. Reasonable

There is difference b/w being rational and reasonable. Rational means always doing things that are logical, without getting emotions into decisions.

The fact is we are emotional beings, and what we do is dependent so much on what makes us feel better (not always logical).

We often beat ourselves up in hindsight on things we could have done better/ more logically. We need to remember that it’s more realistic to aspire towards being reasonable i.e. identifying our priorities & taking decisions based on them (vs. conventional wisdom).

E.g. A may choose 1 job or role over the other as it felt more growth oriented at the time. The logical thing may have been to pick the second role given say A's career aspirations/ financial goals, but it is ok to give ourselves the leeway of doing things that make us sleep better at night i.e. are aligned with our individual priorities.

Another powerful e.g. comes from the book Psychology of Money. Fearing an imminent crash we may pull out money from the markets, only to later find the markets have risen. Conventional wisdom also suggests that staying invested in the long term is better. If I value money protection more and it helps me be more sane mentally, then that may well be the reasonable thing for me.