How To Avoid Stupidity
We've Been Doing It All Wrong 🤦♂️
Philo Fam!
What if I told you we could solve problems ass-backwards and end up making WAY better decisions, would you believe me?
Well, if you’re reading this line then I’ve got your attention so big newsflash.
We’ve been doing it wrong this whole time!
A lot of people think that the way to solve problems is by becoming smarter.
We read books, take classes and try to expand our knowledge so we can figure it out.
But the truth is, being smart isn’t always the best way to come to a solution.
In fact, sometimes it’s better to spend less time trying to be smart and more time trying to avoid obvious stupidity.
Let’s face it, we’ve all made stupid mistakes in our lives.
The key is to learn from them and avoid making the same mistakes again.
I want to share a completely backward way of problem solving and how to bring clarity to decisions.
The Ass-Backward Approach
This mental model involves reversing our usual way of thinking, and instead of asking "what is the best outcome?" we ask "what is the worst possible outcome?"
From there, we can work backward to find a solution that will avoid the worst-case scenario.
This way of thinking can be particularly useful when facing difficult decisions, as it forces us to consider all the potential consequences of our actions.
It can also help us to identify possible risks and plan how to deal with them.
This is a mental model called “Inversion”.
The origins of inversion come from the expression “man muss immer umkehren” by German mathematician Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi, which loosely translates to “Invert, always invert.”
Let’s think of an example of Inversion thinking…Let’s say you want to live a better life.
Instead of thinking of what it takes to achieve a more fulfilling life with meaningful relationships.
Think of exactly what it would take to ruin your life and how to have horrible and meaningless relationships.
Then do the EXACT opposite of what you come up with.
OR you could write for 20 minutes about what a horrible life might be like then write the opposite.
I know this may sound negative and you may be wondering “why in the world would I want to think of these negative things?”
Well, the truth of the matter is that being pessimistic is so much easier than being optimistic. So it’s going to take less thinking power.
Negative thinking comes naturally, it’s an evolutionary survival mechanism.
Positive thinking on the other hand is a skill and the greatest thing about skills is that they can be developed!
Now, I’m by no means saying to be a pessimist, gross, go home troll 🧌
What I’m suggesting is that when faced with a question remember: “man muss immer umkehren” - think backwards
This will bring clarity as to what you SHOULDN’T do so that you then can become clear as to what you SHOULD do in order to achieve the desired outcome.
OK, Tell Me More…
So here’s the example above broken down even further in terms of the actual thought process:
❓ Desire: I want to create a meaningful relationship with my partner.
💭 Thought: Being on my phone while my partner is talking to me is really rude.
✅ Answer: Put my phone down when my partner is talking to me and listen. This will show that I care about what they have to say.
Through inversion, you’re likely to cause less harm because you're bringing attention to what could go wrong.
Literally, bringing attention to what can cause harm and then subtracting it from the equation.
So please, do yourself a favor and spend less time trying to be smarter and more time trying to avoid obvious stupidity, you’ll inevitably become smarter 🤓
TL;DR (too long didn’t read)
Inversion thinking starts with the end in mind
Think of all that can go wrong then do the opposite
Spend less time being smarter, and just avoid obvious stupidity
Conclusion
Becoming smarter is a process of iteration and evolution. It takes time, effort, and practice to become more intelligent. But by avoiding obvious stupidity, you can shortcut the process and become smarter faster. By applying these tips, and staying curious about the world around you. You’ll soon find yourself becoming one of those rare creatures known as “smart people.”
Final Thoughts
Walk by faith and not sight.
We can see the corner but God can see around the corner.
While we think we can solve any problem, oftentimes surrendering can be all that we need to do.
Send a random person in your phonebook a memory you shared with them and make their day 🌞
Talk to you all next week Philo Fam.
**See below - Philo assignment, past letters, and what’s coming up**
Philo Assignment
Find one area in your life where you could apply this mental model and notice the feeling and sensation of the thought experiment.
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