Invert, Always Invert

There’s an idea I got from a book (Poor Charlie’s Almanac) I read a while back. It’s an idea popularized by Charlie Munger, in which he says, “Invert, always invert.”

The idea of inverting is originally a math concept, but it applies to everyday life. I won’t touch the math aspect at all. I think it’ll take more than one newsletter to explain. However, in everyday life, the concept is simple.

Inverting, applied to everyday life, simply means looking at things the opposite way, upside down, or in reverse.

Instead of asking, “How do I succeed?” ask instead, “What would guarantee that I fail?”

When you get the answer to the latter question, you simply have to avoid those things.

That simple concept is a major shift. It’s a shift from chasing the right answers all the time to eliminating the wrong ones. By eliminating the wrong answers as options, you increase your chances to succeed.

In Charlie Munger’s thought process, to achieve success people tend to add on more things to try, when they should be focused on subtracting stupidity.

“Success is often just what’s left over after you remove the obvious mistakes.”

To illustrate this idea I’m going to give a few clear examples.  Examples from different aspects of our OG Millennial lives that this idea touches on and is imperative to add to your toolbox.

The first thought here is, “How do I build a successful business?”

The inverted question is, “How would I guarantee that this business fails?”

Possible Answers:

Now just focus on not doing those things, and that alone will put you ahead of most people in the game.

The first question usually is, “How do I get rich?”

The inverted question is, “How do people stay broke?”

Possible Answers:

Work on consistently avoiding those pitfalls, and you’ll naturally build wealth over time.

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We all ask this question first: “How do I make sure I have a great relationship?”

The inversion of this question is, “What consistently ruins relationships?”

Possible Answers:

Eliminate those types of things, and the relationship improves almost by default.

This one hits close to home for us OG Millennials. In today’s day and age, with endless distractions, we probably ask ourselves all the time, “How do I become more productive?”

The inverted question would be, “What makes me unproductive?”

Possible Answers:

Figure out a way to eliminate those, and productivity rises without needing to implement any hacks.

Just like those four examples, there are four main reasons why this works:

The idea behind all this is simple:

We need to stop doing what clearly doesn’t work and stay consistent with what does.
Stop trying to win. Start eliminating what makes you lose.

That’s it.