











What potential major life change simultaneously tempts and terrifies you? Got a startup idea you've been too scared to pursue? Want to cha ...
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Certe, nisi voluptatem tanti aestimaretis. Nunc haec primum fortasse audientis servire debemus. Mihi enim erit isdem istis fortasse iam utendum. Atque haec ita iustitiae propria sunt, ut sint virtutum reliquarum communia. Quis istum dolorem timet?
Etiam beatissimum? Illud quaero, quid ei, qui in voluptate summum bonum ponat, consentaneum sit dicere. Quid de Platone aut de Democrito loquar? Tu enim ista lenius, hic Stoicorum more nos vexat. Quid ei reliquisti, nisi te, quoquo modo loqueretur, intellegere, quid diceret? Quid enim est a Chrysippo praetermissum in Stoicis? Tu quidem reddes; Quamquam haec quidem praeposita recte et reiecta dicere licebit.
Itaque nostrum est-quod nostrum dico, artis est-ad ea principia, quae accepimus. Quod ea non occurrentia fingunt, vincunt Aristonem; Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Avaritiamne minuis?




- Use the Regret Minimisation Framework to challenge fears and doubts
This mental model helps you ...
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Eam tum adesse, cum dolor omnis absit; Eam tum adesse, cum dolor omnis absit; Quae quo sunt excelsiores, eo dant clariora indicia naturae. Duo Reges: constructio interrete.
Quod autem meum munus dicis non equidem recuso, sed te adiungo socium. Itaque sensibus rationem adiunxit et ratione effecta sensus non reliquit. Non enim solum Torquatus dixit quid sentiret, sed etiam cur. Negat esse eam, inquit, propter se expetendam. An quod ita callida est, ut optime possit architectari voluptates? Sed haec nihil sane ad rem; Sic enim maiores nostri labores non fugiendos tristissimo tamen verbo aerumnas etiam in deo nominaverunt. Habent enim et bene longam et satis litigiosam disputationem. Possumusne ergo in vita summum bonum dicere, cum id ne in cena quidem posse videamur? Verum esto: verbum ipsum voluptatis non habet dignitatem, nec nos fortasse intellegimus.
At, si voluptas esset bonum, desideraret. Inde igitur, inquit, ordiendum est. Deinde disputat, quod cuiusque generis animantium statui deceat extremum. Non est igitur voluptas bonum. Ita multa dicunt, quae vix intellegam. Atqui iste locus est, Piso, tibi etiam atque etiam confirmandus, inquam; Si quicquam extra virtutem habeatur in bonis. Atqui eorum nihil est eius generis, ut sit in fine atque extrerno bonorum. An dubium est, quin virtus ita maximam partem optineat in rebus humanis, ut reliquas obruat? Ut enim consuetudo loquitur, id solum dicitur honestum, quod est populari fama gloriosum.
The Regret Minimisation Framework tends to take an emotive approach to decision making that might lead people to take riskier actions than are advisable. At worst, when not used with other decision making considerations, it might be used to justify hasty or even reckless behaviour. To that point, rather than an considered decision making tool, it might be argued that this framework is more about helping to gain the courage and fortitude to commit to something significant that you know you want but are scared of doing.
Bezos starting Amazon
Bezos described how he left his well paying job and to start Amazon.
“The framework I found, which made the decision incredibly easy, was what I called — which only a nerd would call — a “regret minimisation framework. So I wanted to project myself forward to age 80 and say, “Okay, now I’m looking back on my life. I want to have minimized the number of regrets I have.
“I knew that when I was 80 I was not going to regret having tried this. I was not going to regret trying to participate in this thing called the Internet that I thought was going to be a really big deal. I knew that if I failed I wouldn’t regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not ever having tried."
The regret minimisation framework is a decision-making approach that would ideally be combined with other decision making process.
Use the following examples of connected and complementary models to weave regret minimisation framework into your broader latticework of mental models. Alternatively, discover your own connections by exploring the category list above.
Connected models:
- High velocity decisions: other decision making tools from Bezos.
- Opportunity cost: the regret minimisation framework effectively asks you to ‘live into’ the opportunity cost of inaction.
Complementary models:
- Golden circle: using the framework might help connect with ‘why’.
- Ikigai: again, the framework might help get in touch with a happier life.
- Risk matrix: consider risks likelihood and impact.
This is a similar concept to the more recent ‘YOLO’, or you only live once’ approach to seizing opportunities.
The Regret Minimisation Framework was coined by Jeff Bezos, and described in Brian Christian’s Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions.
View a short video of Bezos talking about this framework.

Oops, That’s Members’ Only!
Fortunately, it only costs US$5/month to Join ModelThinkers and access everything so that you can rapidly discover, learn, and apply the world’s most powerful ideas.
ModelThinkers membership at a glance:






“Yeah, we hate pop ups too. But we wanted to let you know that, with ModelThinkers, we’re making it easier for you to adapt, innovate and create value. We hope you’ll join us and the growing community of ModelThinkers today.”