Which Problems Would You Prefer
Decide by comparing the downsides of each path, not the upsides
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 85%
For big strategic decisions Hormozi and his team don't talk about upside; they ask which problems they'd prefer. Before deciding to launch a new service line, buy software, or build a physical product, they spell out the problems each path will create — some customers will complain about results, there'll be negative reviews, a favorite customer will tell them off — and really sit in each one. Only then do they ask: which of these problems do we prefer, and which are we more equipped to deal with. This minimizes post-decision regret, because most regret comes from the path unchosen, which we imagine only with its upside. By naming the downsides both paths carried, you never romanticize the road not taken.
Origin
Hormozi's team uses the frame for major business decisions, and he ties it to the Midnight Library idea that unchosen lives carry hidden losses (a dead best friend, an unexpected pregnancy) we never account for. Shared on Modern Wisdom with Chris Williamson.
Core principles
- 01Every path carries problems; the choice is which problems you prefer
- 02Regret usually comes from imagining the unchosen path with only its upside
- 03Comparing downsides minimizes post-decision regret
- 04Choose the problems you're most equipped to deal with
How to run it
- 1
Flip from upside to downside
For each option, deliberately enumerate the problems it will create rather than the benefits it promises.
- 2
Sit in each set of problems
Make the downsides concrete and visceral — negative reviews, an angry favorite customer, the specific failures — and really imagine living them.
Pro tip The more real you make each problem, the more honest the comparison.
- 3
Ask which problems you prefer
Without weighing the upside, choose the set of problems you'd rather have and are best equipped to deal with.
- 4
Bank the downsides for regret-proofing
Remember the downsides of the path you didn't take, so you never romanticize it later with only its upside.
Pro tip Recall that the unchosen path had its own losses; that memory is what minimizes future regret.
Watch out Regret comes from imagining the road not taken as pure upside — refuse to let yourself do that.
In the wild
Before committing to a big new service line, Hormozi's team imagines the problems: some people won't get results, there will be negative reviews in the short term, a favorite customer might tell them off. They sit in each problem, then ask which set they prefer and are more equipped to handle. The resulting decisions carry less post-decision regret because they already know the negatives of the unchosen path.
→ Comparing downsides produced solid decisions with minimal regret.
Common mistakes
Deciding on upside alone
Choosing by comparing benefits romanticizes both paths and sets up regret when the chosen path's inevitable problems appear.
Forgetting the unchosen path's costs
Regret grows when you imagine the road not taken with only its upside; remembering its downsides keeps you at peace with your choice.
Is it for you?
Best for
Anyone facing a big strategic or life decision who wants durable, low-regret choices.
Not ideal for
Trivial or reversible choices where enumerating downsides of each path is overkill.
From the transcript
“we say which of these problems do we prefer and which Are we more equipped to deal with”
“most times like our regrets Come From the Path unchosen because we imagine it only with the upside”
From the episode
21 Brutally Honest Lessons About Life - Alex Hormozi - #738
Alex Hormozi