Maetis
Mental Models
Mental Models · Card 8

Regret Minimization

For big, hard-to-reverse decisions, ask which choice you'd regret less looking back, not which one feels safer right now.

Missed chancehaunts longer
Reasoned attempteasier to live with
Regret if I don'tRegret if I do
In Practice

Turning down a well-researched investment out of fear usually stings more in ten years than a loss from one that was reasoned through and didn't work out.

Generic Example

Not applying for a role you wanted, out of fear of rejection, tends to be regretted longer than applying and hearing no.

Ten years from now, which choice am I more likely to wish I'd made?