INVERSION— Mental Model of Reversal
- Ali Hasany
- Aug 3
- 4 min read
“Hope for the best. Plan for the worst.” — Anonymous
"Death to Life" is an example of Inversion.
Suppose.
I am standing on the top floor of a 20-storey building and thinking of jumping.
What will be the first thought in my mind?
Of course.. I will die if I jump.
That futuristic thinking of what will happen if I jump is inversion.
The Normal flow
Left to Right
Top to Bottom
The Inversion flow
Right to Left
Bottom to Top
Inversion is the best Mental Model I learned in my life and practiced daily. It teaches me three key life takeaways:
Reverse engineering/ Debugging
What could go wrong
Backup Plan
My Life Examples
My Life Examples using Inversion:
I am a speedy driver. Before driving, I always check that my Brakes are well functioning.
I am a novice computer programmer. To learn something in the code, I always get its source code. Making small tweaks to see what changes do to what action.
I am an Auditor. To qualify for my accountancy exams, I used to practice questions. All my life, I never solved a question if I didn't have the answer somewhere with me.
I am an IT Auditor. Whenever I do an Information Systems Audit, I always check the control for the Data Backup. This alone is enough to save the company from Phishing and ransomware cyberattacks.
Top Inversion Models
Have you seen these phrases in your life? They are top inversion models.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. (Newton's Third Law of Physics)
Every picture has two sides. (Physics)
What could go wrong? (Audit)
Black and White. (Law)
Life and Death. (Philosophy)
Tit for Tat. (Life)
Karma. (Religion)
What is Inversion?
Inversion means turning something around to see it in a new way or solve a problem better. It starts with...
“How can I avoid failure or prevent undesirable outcomes?”
This way of thinking helps people see problems before they happen and make a plan to fix them.
Philosophical advocates of the inversion mental model
Charlie Munger is a friend of Warren Buffett. He uses inversion to use inversion to turn things around for solving problems.
“Turn a situation or problem upside down. Look at it backward. What happens if all our plans go wrong? Where don’t we want to go, and how do you get there? Instead of looking for success, make a list of how to fail instead — through sloth, envy, resentment, self-pity, entitlement, all the mental habits of self-defeat. Avoid these qualities, and you will succeed. Tell me where I’m going to die, that is, so I don’t go there.” — Charlie Munger
Inversion thinking in practice.
Imagine you want to run a marathon. What steps would you take?
You may start from below, thinking:
Change your diet.
Buy a nice new pair of sneakers.
Research a beginner’s training routine.
Commit to regular endurance workouts.
Now, invert your thinking. Why might you fail on your path toward this goal?
Lack of accountability.
Lack of motivation.
Lack of time.
Injury.
There’s nothing wrong with the first set of answers. But the second reveals issues that the first cannot reveal.
My Personal 25 World-Class Inversion Examples
1. RECIPROCITY — (Inversion of Psychology)
When you get something from someone, you are bound to pay it back in some form.
2. BINARY — (Inversion of Computing)
The most powerful machine in the world, the computer, works using 1s and 0s. Quantum computers go further by mixing 1 and 0 at the same time, known as quantum superposition.
3. RECIPROCAL OF FRACTION — (Inversion of Mathematics)
Number ‘2’ is also written as Reciprocal Fraction as 1/2 or One Half.
4. SPACE & TIME — (Inversion of Astro Physics)
Nothing can escape the control of Space and Time.
5. LIFE & DEATH — (Inversion of Biology)
Death is an event that becomes obvious; it changes the direction of human thinking from 0 to 180 degrees.
6. KARMA — (Inversion of Religion)
What you sow, you reap.
7. PARADISE & HELL — (Inversion of Moral Behaviour)
Paradise is for good people. Hell is for bad people. Used by religions to manage the morals of society.
8. ALPHA & OMEGA — (Inversion of God)
God was always there from the beginning and will stay till at the end of the Universe.
9. TIT FOR TAT — (Inversion of Circumstances)
Same level of retaliation for one’s action.
10. PRIMAL DESIRES — (Inversion of Behaviour)
Fear and Greed run (stock, crypto, forex, and real estate markets and the business world. A wise investor understands both Fear (Bearish) and Greed (Bullish).
11. NEWTON'S THIRD LAW OF MOTION — (Inversion of Physics)
When two bodies interact. They apply forces to one another equal in power and opposite in direction.
12. CONVERGE & DIVERGE — (Inversion of Productivity)
First, diversify to learn many things. Then focus on becoming an expert in what you like the most to do.
Optimistic contrarians are the rarest breed.” — Naval Ravikant
13. POSITIVE & NEGATIVE — (Inversion of Numbers)
Plus (+) and Minus (-) are the building blocks of the universe.
14. OPTIMISTIC AND PESSIMISTIC — (Inversion of Thinking)
Parachute is an example of Pessimistic Thinking.
The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” — William Arthur Ward
15. ENTRY & EXIT — (Inversion of Decision)
If someone asks you to join a business opportunity or subscription. Always ask and look for the exit strategy.
16. ANODE & CATHODE — (Inversion of Chemical Reaction)
All electronics work on a simple chemical reaction. Using a battery that has two poles, moving electric charge from Positive to Negative.
17. REVERSE ENGINEERING — (Inversion of Engineering)
Hacking the physical product by un-assembling or decompiling the code.
18. CONTRAST — (Inversion of Graphics)
Different from the rest.
19. TURNAROUND — (Inversion of Strategy)
Sometimes, losing a battle becomes a winning battle.
20. MALE & FEMALE — (Inversion of Family Unit)
To get a new human life, we need both a male and a female.
21. YES & NO (Inversion of Decision Making)
“If you cannot decide, the answer is no.” — Naval Ravikant.
22. YIN & YANG (Inversion of Philosophy)
In Chinese, Yin Yang is Dark-Light.
23. BUY & SELL (Inversion of Business and Investment)
Everyone loves to buy at low prices and sell at higher prices. But there are short sellers too.
24. DEMAND & SUPPLY (Inversion of Economics)
Price is at equilibrium when Demand intersects with Supply.
25. BACKUP & RESTORE (Inversion of Disaster Recovery)
A smart company keeps its data backed up. Also, run restoration testing to ensure the integrity of the data.
Conclusion
They say that often, doing less wrong can be as productive as doing more right.
Avoiding stupidity is easier than seeking brilliance.” — Charlie Munger
Comments