Author's Name: Norina Hertz

We face serious decisions with significant consequences in our daily lives. We face difficult problems and challenges that we alone must solve. On top of all this, we have to make up to 10,000 ordinary decisions every day,1 of which 227 are related to food alone.2 Should we have caffeine or not? Should our cup of coffee be small, medium, large, or extra large? Should it be Colombian, Ecuadorian, or Ethiopian? With pistachios, vanilla, or plain? With cream or milk? With brown sugar or sweetener? If you make a mistake with your coffee, it doesn't matter much; you just show a look of disgust on your face and move on. But if you make poor choices about your money, your health, or your work, you could end up poor, sick, or unemployed. And if your decisions affect others—such as your parents, your children, your country, or your employees—your choices can irrevocably influence the direction their lives take, not just today but also in the months and years to come. Decision-making errors can lead young people to under-save for retirement, doctors to abandon malignant tumors, CEOs to make disastrous investments, governments to get involved in needless wars, and parents to traumatize their children beyond their ability to recover. This book teaches you how to make better choices and wiser decisions when the stakes are high and the consequences are dire—whether you're a politician, an entrepreneur, a professional, or a parent.