The Art of the Good Life: Practical Principles to Happiness, Satisfactory, Better Decision-Making, and Career Success

The world we live in is full of complexity and uncertainty, and we may no longer make wise judgments based on intuition alone. We need to prepare ourselves with a toolbox full of mental tools that are ready to be used at any time. With the help of these mental tools, we can observe the world more objectively, maintain mature reasoning, and improve our ability to make better decisions and do things better. 

The author Rolf Dobelli used “mental accounting” as a mental tool. In the case of loss or misfortune in life, he suggested that we use the “mental accounting” tool to help us to switch our perspectives on life. For example, you can preset a “donation account” and pre-deposit $ 1,000 in it every year. Whenever you are issued a ticket for illegal parking or speeding, you can pay the fines using this “donation account” and imagine that the money paid to the fine is actually a tax to improve social welfare. In this way, you can avoid feeling regret or anger whenever you are fined.