Last week, I raced 200km around an active volcano in Iceland.

Why did I do it?

There's no rational reason besides that this is exactly the thing I would do.

I see me as someone who does this. Confirming this makes me feel like me. Or more accurate: Who I want to be.

And feeling like being who I want to be gives me joy.

The rational part of my brain rejects confirming that I can be who I want to be as a smart reason to do something. It even positively dislikes it.

But it is wrong. If it doesn't assign any value to joy in the decision-making process, it's unlikely you will ever do what makes you happy.