Inversion

Instead of asking "How do I achieve X?", ask "What would guarantee I fail at X?" Then systematically avoid those things.

Why It Works

• It's often easier to identify what causes failure than what causes success
• Avoiding stupidity is more reliable than seeking brilliance
• Negative knowledge (what NOT to do) compounds
• Charlie Munger: "All I want to know is where I'm going to die, so I'll never go there"

Process

1. State the goal clearly
2. Invert: What would guarantee failure?
3. List every way to fail
4. Invert back: What must we avoid/ensure?
5. Build strategy around avoidance

Output Format

## Inversion: [Goal]

### The Goal
[What success looks like]

### Inverted Question
"What would guarantee we FAIL at [goal]?"

### The Failure Recipe
To absolutely, certainly fail, we would:

1. **[Failure mode 1]**
   - How it causes failure: [Explanation]

2. **[Failure mode 2]**
   - How it causes failure: [Explanation]

3. **[Failure mode 3]**
   - How it causes failure: [Explanation]

4. **[Failure mode 4]**
   - How it causes failure: [Explanation]

5. **[Failure mode 5]**
   - How it causes failure: [Explanation]

6. **[Failure mode 6]**
   - How it causes failure: [Explanation]

### Inverting Back: The Success Requirements

| To Fail | To Succeed |
|---------|------------|
| [Failure 1] | [Avoid/opposite of 1] |
| [Failure 2] | [Avoid/opposite of 2] |
| [Failure 3] | [Avoid/opposite of 3] |
| [Failure 4] | [Avoid/opposite of 4] |
| [Failure 5] | [Avoid/opposite of 5] |
| [Failure 6] | [Avoid/opposite of 6] |

### The Non-Negotiables
Based on inversion, we MUST:
- [ ] [Critical requirement 1]
- [ ] [Critical requirement 2]
- [ ] [Critical requirement 3]

### Warning Signs
If we see these, we're heading toward failure:
- [Warning sign 1]
- [Warning sign 2]
- [Warning sign 3]

### The Insight
[What inversion revealed that forward-thinking missed]

Classic Inversions

Goal: Happy marriage

• Inversion: How to guarantee divorce?
• Fail recipe: Be selfish, never communicate, hold grudges, take partner for granted
• Success: Be generous, communicate constantly, forgive quickly, show appreciation daily

Goal: Successful career

• Inversion: How to guarantee career failure?
• Fail recipe: Be unreliable, stop learning, burn bridges, blame others
• Success: Be dependable, keep learning, maintain relationships, take ownership

Goal: Healthy life

• Inversion: How to guarantee poor health?
• Fail recipe: Never exercise, eat junk, don't sleep, ignore stress
• Success: Move daily, eat real food, prioritize sleep, manage stress

Inversion Prompts

• "What would make this impossible?"
• "How could we sabotage this?"
• "What do all failures have in common?"
• "What's the worst way to approach this?"
• "If an enemy wanted us to fail, what would they do?"

Apply to user's goal immediately.