Take risks that you’d be proud to explain to your grandma. That’s the integrity filter.

A simple filter beats a complicated one when you need to use it quickly. Imagining that you have to explain the decision to somebody who loves you and is not impressed by clever reasoning cuts through the justifications fast, because a bad plan is very hard to say out loud to a person like that without hearing it yourself.

Run whatever you are considering through it before you commit. If the explanation needs three qualifications, that is your answer. Bold does fine under this test. Most genuinely brave things sound good said plainly at a kitchen table.