From: alexhormozi
To achieve success, it is crucial to understand how to “win.” Winning is defined not by comparing oneself to others, but by impressing a future version of oneself [00:00:05]. This perspective helps avoid complacency for those at the top and focuses on controllable actions for those on the climb [00:01:04].
The Power of Inversion
The human brain is naturally programmed for survival, making it more adept at identifying problems than solutions [00:02:42]. This innate ability can be leveraged by employing a technique called “inversion,” a concept attributed to Albert Einstein and frequently discussed by Charlie Munger: “invert, always invert” [00:02:03]. Inversion serves as a powerful problem-solving tool because our brains find it easier to identify what not to do [00:02:13].
Identifying Paths to Failure
To apply inversion, one should imagine the “least successful version of you” and identify specific actions or inactions that would guarantee failure [00:03:05]. This exercise reveals pitfalls that must be avoided. Examples of actions that lead to failure include [00:03:25]:
- Spending excessive time on unproductive activities like Netflix [00:03:25]
- Engaging in destructive behaviors (e.g., drug addiction) [00:03:28]
- Being impatient [00:03:52]
- Showing up late [00:03:52]
- Being unprepared [00:03:52]
- Lacking confidence [00:03:56]
- Being transactional instead of relational with clients [00:04:03]
- Failing to follow up [00:04:07]
- Not advertising [00:04:22]
- Not asking for referrals [00:04:24]
The more concise the list of guaranteed failures, the more potent these insights become, often serving as a “north star” for how to win [00:04:50].
Turning Failure into a Blueprint for Success
Once the actions that guarantee failure are identified, the next step is to invert them to create a clear path to success [00:05:07]:
- Impatient becomes patient [00:05:11].
- Showing up late becomes always being on time [00:05:13].
- Being unprepared becomes always prepared or overprepared [00:05:15].
- Not confident becomes confident [00:05:17].
- Transactional becomes relational [00:05:19].
- Doesn’t follow up becomes always follows up [00:05:21].
- Doesn’t advertise becomes advertises constantly [00:05:23].
- Not asking for referrals becomes always doing so [00:05:25].
By understanding how to lose, individuals inherently gain knowledge of how to win [00:06:05].
Practical Application and Takeaways
A real-world example illustrates this point: a sales professional significantly outperformed peers by simply asking for referrals, a step already in the sales script but often neglected [00:05:30]. This highlights that often, the answers to winning are already known, but not consistently executed [00:06:05].
This process transforms abstract traits into observable actions. For example, “being charismatic” can be operationalized into behaviors like smiling when people enter, remembering names, changing vocal emphasis, asking about others, nodding, maintaining eye contact, and addressing everyone in the room [00:09:39]. These observable actions provide measurable steps towards developing desired skills [00:13:19].
The core idea is that if something can be learned, it is a skill, and if it’s a skill, it can be taught and improved upon [00:10:29].