☀️ Stoic Morning Minute: Charlie Munger's Secret Weapon

💭 Modern Translation

Instead of obsessing over success, try asking: "What would guarantee failure?" This mental judo flip is called inversion, and it's surprisingly powerful.

Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett's business partner, built a fortune using this approach. Munger says much of his success comes from simply "trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent."

The ancient Stoics practiced this same technique without naming it. When they visualized worst-case scenarios or prepared for setbacks, they were doing inversion before it was cool.

⚡️ Your Move

Before your next decision, list three ways it could go wrong, then create a specific prevention plan for each scenario. When you're stuck on a problem, try flipping it around – ask what would make the situation worse, then do the exact opposite. This simple reversal often reveals blindspots your forward-thinking mind missed completely. The goal isn't to become pessimistic, but strategically prepared.

🤔 Today's Question

What problem could you solve today by thinking about what would make it worse?

Invert, always invert,

Jon

—Today’s newsletter is sponsored by MECO.

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