I’ve always believed that living creatively and financially free required boldness. You know, BIG moves with perfect timing! The kind of decisions that feel exciting and a little risky at the same time. But this past weekend, I helped to moderate a conversation where we unpacked a chapter in The Psychology of Money by @Morgan Hoursel. In this chapter, we discussed the difference between rational decisions and reasonable decisions around money. Stick with me.
So, rational decisions are the ones that sound the smartest on paper. They’re backed by data, optimized for max returns, and usually aligned with what experts or advisors would tell you is the “best” move. And to be clear, there’s nothing wrong with that. But real life doesn’t happen on paper.
Now reasonable decisions are different. They take into account your actual life—your responsibilities, your emotional capacity, your risk tolerance, your current season.
Whereas a rational decision might tell you to scale quickly, leverage aggressively, and maximize every opportunity. A reasonable decision might sound more like, “Yes, I want to grow—but I also want to sleep at night. I want to feel stable. I want to enjoy my life while I’m building it.” And that difference matters more than I ever realized.
What I’ve come to realize is that a strategy, a decision, a habit or any life decision that requires significant growth is only as good as your ability to stick with it. And this is where I and so many others—especially creatives and entrepreneurs—quietly fall off. Not because we aren’t intelligent or capable, but because we sometimes have chosen a path that doesn’t actually fit our lives. And maybe parts of that comes from being creative—because when you’re used to building things from vision, you start to associate progress with momentum, expansion, and movement. But over time, and honestly through a mix of both success and failure, how I think about money and wealth has completely shifted. I realize now that wealth is not built on the most impressive decisions—it’s built on the most sustainable ones. And those are usually the ones no one is talking about because they’re… kind of boring.
Rational advice assumes consistency. But consistency is human, not mathematical. If a decision creates constant pressure, anxiety, or instability, eventually something gives. Either you burn out, or you abandon the plan altogether. When we think about and relate this message to our lives as creatives & entrepreneurs we can attest that the best strategy—is built on the strategy we can repeat. It is built on the strategy that flows with the ups and downs of our real lives and usually those are the more reasonable ones and not the purely rational ones.
I also think this is where the deeper work comes in, especially for those of us who are used to creating, building, and expressing. Because our decisions are rarely just financial—they’re tied to identity. We’re used to growth feeling expansive. We’re used to movement, visibility, and momentum. But wealth often asks for something very different. It asks for patience, restraint, discipline and long-term thinking. And if we don’t acknowledge that tension, we end up making decisions that feel good in the moment but don’t actually support the life we’re trying to build.
That’s really what Canvas to Capital has become for me. Not a shift away from creativity—but a deeper application of it. It’s about learning how to build structure around your life in a way that actually supports you. It’s about making decisions that aren’t just optimal—but livable. Decisions that you can return to again and again without burning out or second-guessing yourself. Because at the end of the day, sustainable wealth isn’t built on perfect decisions. It’s built on decisions you can live with—consistently.
And more often than not, those decisions will feel a little underwhelming in the moment. A little too simple. A little too steady. But over time, that’s exactly what makes them powerful.
I write this message sincerely to all my big eyed, creative dreamers like me who live in momentum, action and adventure. I see you and I LOVE you BIG! Your visions will come true, but I beg rationally reasonable decisions, patience and discipline of you. -Creatively Yours, Myesha
