Invert, always invert

Jack Beecher, here.

Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett have a famous saying:

All I want to know is where I’m going to die so I’ll never go there.

Although it sounds like a surface level cliche, this quote explains the very idea that helped guide Munger and Buffett to their success: Inversion.

Munger famously repeated the maxim: invert, always invert, which is credited to an old mathematician, Carl Jacobi.

Jacobi believed the best way to approach any problem was to flip the question on its head.

Let me give you some examples:

Normal: What is the meaning of life?
Inversion: What things detract meaning from life?

Normal: How can I get rich?
Inversion: How do I become broke?

Normal: How can I crush college admissions?
Inversion: How can I not fail on my application?

Often, the inverted questions are better guides to actionable insight than the originals.

For example, what is the meaning of life? I have no idea. But what detracts from the meaning of my life? Tons of things: staring at my phone, staying indoors, not socializing with friends.

How can I become rich? I don’t know. What about broke? Gamble, buy things I can’t afford, find risky investments.

Instead of worrying about the grandiosity of the original questions, just avoid the answers to the inverted ones.

This works for almost everything, especially college admissions.

If I asked you, how can you craft a standout application to your dream school?

You’d probably have 100s of ideas relating to all different parts of your applications.

Now, what if I asked you, what would make for a terrible application?

The answer becomes a lot simpler: Bad Grades and Essays. That’s it. That’s all it takes to have an absolutely awful application.

There are almost always more ways to succeed than ways to fail. So instead of searching endlessly for the former, maybe just take a quick glance at the latter.

Focus on avoiding the things that are sure to cause destruction and you’ll do pretty well for yourself.

Big takeaway: Write strong essays and have good grades. Your application is now 80% of the way there.

Invert, always invert,
Jack Beecher

P.S. - Have a high-performing high schooler w/ a 3.7 GPA or higher? We'll help get them into at least one of their top 5 dream colleges...and if we don't get them into at least one of their top 5 dream colleges, you don't pay us a penny.  Seriously.  College admissions isn't rocket science...but it is a science.  And we've cracked the code...year, after year, after year.  You can learn more about our world renowned all-inclusive, start-to-finish college coaching here and to see if your family qualifies for an introductory call.

P.P.S - Our most common question is "When should we start?!"  The answer is, if you truly care about giving your high schooler the best chance of college planning success, you should start NOW. 9th grade is not too early to start! 10th grade is certainly not too early to start! And 11th grade is far, far too late! (supporting data here to show just how much of an advantage you give your child by starting the process early).