Replace “just start” with THIS strategy

The law of inversion.

How many times have you heard someone trying to be all inspirational say:

It’s one of my least favorite things to hear. People say it as if it’s advice or something. If it were that easy, wouldn’t I have done it already? Also, I hate how it comes from a place of superiority, but I’ll hold my condescension for another time.

Next time you hear someone say that, correct them. With this.

It’s a simple strategy. It can be used when you need to start something but don’t know which of the 47 things to do first. The law of inversion makes it simple and clear.

Here’s how it works.

What’s the thing you need help/clarity/direction with? For sake of example let’s say you want to get fit this year. Now, ask this question.

What would I need to do to guarrentee failure in (getting fit this year)? How could I guarrentee that that would NOT happen?

Now make a list of exactly what you would need to do to guarantee failure in this particular thing. Start with the most obvious and dramatic ones. Don’t hold back. Make a detailed plan of how you would do it.

Like this.

1. Avoid exercise at all cost.

2. Don’t get a gym membership.

3. Definetly don’t hire a trainer or accountability buddy.

4. Eat more junk food and pay no attention to diet.

5. Surround yourself with other “unfit” and undisciplined people who validate your life choices. Remove yourself from anyone who pushes you to change.

6. Do NOT define what “fit” means.

7. Stay as vague as possible about why you would want something like that.

I know this sounds weird, hang with me.

Now, take that list and invert each of the things on it. What’s the opposite?

1. Get more exercise.

2. Get a gym membership.

3. Definetly find some form of accountability. Someone to workout with or a trainer.

4. Cut out junk food and eat more healthily. Create a diet to follow.

5. Surround yourself with fit and disciplined people who constantly remind and push you to change.

6. Define what “fit” means.

7. Clearly define why you want to be fit.

As you can see we now have a concise action plan for getting fit (or whatever you want). There are two reasons this is so effective.

1. By creating contrast you gain clarity on which are the most important to tackle first.

2. We are amazing at pointing out the negative and what we don’t want. For example. Which question is easier to answer?

   1. What job do you want?

   2. What job do you NOT want?

You may have to rework a bit of the plan, but for the most part, you’re 80% of the way there. The best part is like reason #1 above, you will automatically recognize the biggest obstacles. Our brains are naturally drawn to what won’t work. Let’s lean into it. It doesn’t have to work against us.

The law of inversion works for so many things.

How can you guarantee you’ll be undisciplined?

How can you guarantee you’ll go back to smoking?

How can you guarantee to never learn the flute?

How can you guarantee you’ll never change?

How can you guarantee to have a terrible day?

So the next time you hear someone say “Just start” tell them about the law of inversion. Maybe send them this email.

What will you use it on?

By the way, I’m working on building a testimonial page for this newsletter so people looking on know what to expect. If you’d like to help me out, reply to this email with your feedback.

Who specifically in your life needs to do this exercise? Share with someone you care about.