I was brought to the attention of Charlie Munger’s inverse thinking by Alex Hormozi. I find Hormozi a brilliant business thinker and he shares his ideas in a very accessible way.
Inverse thinking is the concept of thinking about a problem the other way around.
What’s a great way to have a good life?
Well, it’s the inverse of not having a good life. What’s a great way to have a miserable life? Well maybe being unhealthy, being unfair to others, being angry, being frustrated, denying your responsibilities, and so on.
How to have a great marriage? becomes how to have a miserable marriage?
How can we create a great company culture? becomes what are ways to destroy company culture?
How will I be fit and healthy? becomes what would I need to do to become fat and lazy?
Answering inverse questions will give you a guide and a frame for moving problems in the right direction. It’s a simple but strong concept.