My then 86-year old mother accidentally flushed out undercover cops in New York City.

I have spoken in front of 5,000 people at Avery Fisher Hall in NYC.

I birthed two whole humans and built a $2.5B money management business from scratch. Yet neither of these is my life’s proudest moment (sorry kids!).

The front desk had a simple request: would I move up my airport shuttle reservation by a half-hour and split the cost with another guest?

I’d already moved up my departure time by an extra hour (because, Costa Rica). 30 more minutes of waiting around was unappealing. I also dreaded a long car ride of stranger small talk. The savings weren’t worth it.

My ex-husband couldn’t part with any object he’d repaired.

The labor he invested made it priceless in his eyes. This is “The IKEA Effect”. We place a high value (up to 63% more!) on objects we’ve laid hands on with effort (like building IKEA furniture).

One disastrous Christmas years ago, after I was up half the night wrapping presents for everyone, I woke up to find that there was nothing in my stocking.

What you see is NOT what you get.

It’s what your brain decides to tell you. Light hits your eyes, data zips along, and your brain makes up a story. It can’t always be trusted.