HOW DAILY DECISIONS SHAPE OUR FUTURE
On October 22nd, the FLIP Project held a new interactive session within the Driving Change series, with a new interactive and thought-provoking session, led by Pedro Santos.
This time, the focus turned toward one of the most crucial aspects of our
personal and professional journeys: how we make the big decisions that define our lives – and how financial literacy plays a vital role in shaping them.
Whether it’s choosing between renting or buying a house, deciding how to invest our savings, or evaluating the risks, and rewards of long-term financial commitments, this session encouraged participants to reflect deeply on how values, priorities and money choices intersect in everyday life.
UNDERSTANDING LIFE GOALS
The session began with an open reflection exercise on personal aspirations. Using Mentimeter, participants were invited to share a couple of their life goals, and the collective responses painted a vivid picture of the dreams that drive young people today:
From buying a home and studying abroad to achieving financial stability,
finding love, maintaining mental well-being, and creating a family.
The resulting word cloud showed how interconnected these ambitions are. Behind every aspiration lies a set of decisions that are not only emotional but also financial.
The group discussed how every goal – whether it’s pursuing higher education, moving to another country, or planning for a family – requires an understanding of budgeting, saving, investing, and opportunity costs.
As Pedro Santos explained, “Financial literacy is not just about managing money it’s about managing life”. By learning how to align our financial choices with our personal values, we gain autonomy, reduce uncertainty, and open new paths for growth.
GAMES THAT MAKE US THINK
To move from the theory to experience, participants engaged in several online interactive games, each designed to highlight a different dimension of decision-making and financial behavior:
- Crypto Craze – a fast-paced simulation that showed how emotions, risk perception and group dynamics influence our investment decisions, particularly in volatile markets like cryptocurrency.
- The Uber Game – a powerful simulation of financial pressure and decision-making under uncertainty, helping participants empathize with everyday economic struggles.
- Life Choices – Mentimeter – a reflective exercise that prompted participants to consider what really matters to them in the long run: happiness, health, stability, freedom, or success—and how financial planning supports those priorities.
- Time for Payback – a practical exercise that illustrates how education, loans, and lifestyle choices affect long-term financial sustainability.
Through these activities, participants discovered that financial education becomes truly meaningful when it connects to real-life experiences. The simulations sparked laughter, surprise, and moments of realization -reminding everyone that the way we approach money reflects our deeper attitudes toward risk, responsibility, and the future.
Through these activities, participants discovered that financial education becomes truly meaningful when it connects to real-life experiences. The simulations sparked surprise, and moments of realization —reminding everyone that the way we approach money reflects our deeper attitudes toward risk, responsibility, and the future.