Invert, Always Invert – Buffet | How to Apply in Our Life?

Posted on the 08 June 2013 by Mihir23192 @mihir23192

I have been an avid learner of Value Investing from a year..! I am reading so many books, blogs, letters, annual reports and some other stuff about Value Investing. In the pursuit of my Learning I have learned some wonderful lesson about human behavior as well as our approach to our life.

I was reading something about buffet online and came across a wonderful concept," Method of Inversion ". I have written full article about it but once again, I feel like writing something on it about my personal life.

Buffett cited Jacobi, a mathematician, who advised problem solvers to invert, always invert.

In other words, instead of trying to find ways of doing something successfully, first find methods that are likely fail and avoid them.

When I think about this, so many time wasters and non-prioritized work which I do the whole day, come and stand before me. I am writing this post because I also need to invert from something which I am doing but it is not that important at this point of time.

I am a CA student and my exam is due in May 2014. My CA Final exams. After that I am going to be CA. I am not very sure how my life and thinking is going to change with this specific prefix before my name but certainly my formal education will, most probably, come to an end !

Now, If I need to clear my CA Final exams then I need to focus on few things and ignore lot many things for next 8-9 months. So I thought, when I am saying it to the world that We need to invert, then Why don't I apply the same concept in my life ?

I read in Goals from Zig Ziglar, "We need to share our downward goals with everybody and our upwards goals with those who believe in us"

So, here, I am listing down my few time wasters and time killers here.

- Laptop !

Sometime I feel, I am an internet addict, of course not for the non-sense use but I read too much online and finally end up with confusion in my mind and carry the same for 2-3 days. I, usually, stuck on some idea then search on internet for it, then I work on it till I finally find it's solution or leave it after defeat. Now, you can say it as R&D but certainly it's not the thing to do when you exams are nearby.

Though I am not an expert in any of it, I spend time on learning Internet Marketing, Personal Finance, Value Investing, Human Behaviour, Web Development (Java, PHP, MySQL, Python, c++), Stock Market Trading Scripts, F&O and Derivates, Stock Research, Fundamental Research, Corporate Scandals, Conspiracy Theories, New Business Models, Facebook Apps, Android Apps, Systems automation, Information SYstems, Business Intelligence, Marketing Concepts, Money and list goes on and on and on...!

Now, You will observe that none of the thing is related to CA except Finance which I love So, for the time being I feel I will restrain my self and my mind from thinking these stuff which is not adding value to my May 14 goal.

- Books & Audiobooks.

I am certainly not a bookish person but I certainly love to read books on Personal Finance, Behavior, Investing, Self Development, Motivation, Life learning, Spirituality and similar others. So I usually have 3-4 books on my desk from different field and I read them as and when I get time, most probably before I sleep.

I also hear audiobook daily when I go for jogging and exercise in morning. It feels my day with confidence and joy.

As of now, I think, It's better I spend the same energy of reading this books on reading my CA books.

- Friends, Movies Etc..

I have few friends, when I am with them I literally forget about timing and other stuff..! In fact everybody do so, So I am not at fault..! But I have told them too, that Please help me in concentrating on my CA Final after that I am going to have an India Tour for 5-6 months and they can join me 😀

So, for me, these are the wasters from which I want to invert. I will do it easily, I am very sure about it.