Most of us tend to think positively when making our goals. We consider all of the reasons why we will succeed and often ignore what might impede our success. For example, if we are using a booth to sell products, we might focus on obtaining a strong location, training competent staff and designing an attractive display. These are all necessary actions, but unfortunately often lead to disappointment. The reason being is that we fail to consider all of the possible downsides.
Inversion thinking can correct this imbalance. In addition to thinking about the positives, we analyze all of the ways we might fail. By listing all the possible mistakes and doing our best to avoid them, we will succeed more often than by just concentrating on our strong points. For example, by thinking about all of the ways our booth will fail, we will find solutions to bad locations, poorly trained staff and weak displays. Planning for the opposite of what we want to happen will give us a competitive advantage in anything we do.
In the month ahead, use the inversion technique on your most important goals to identify all of the things that could go wrong. If we can avoid the mistakes that cause failure, we are much more likely to succeed.