The Arc Models Quests Character Membership
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Models

Borrow a better way of seeing it, then find out whether it survives your life.

A mental model is only worth anything at the moment you're deciding something. So each one arrives with the mechanism underneath it, the origin of the word, a scenario to try it on, and somewhere to write down what happened when you used it on something real.

decidere, to cut away

Decide

A decision is a removal, not an addition. Until something is being cut off, nothing has actually been decided.

SeeTryLiveWilling Wisdom

invertere, to turn upside down

Inversion

Instead of asking how to succeed, ask what would guarantee failure, then refuse to do those things.

SeeTryLiveAdding Awareness

ruminare, to chew again what was already swallowed

Rumination

Replaying a conversation is not processing it. The second pass adds no information and reinforces the pathway.

SeeTryLiveAdding Awareness

cor, the heart

Courage

Courage was never the absence of fear. It was acting with your whole heart while afraid, which means it can be practised.

SeeTryLiveCreating Character

ad lineare, to bring into a line

Alignment

The distance between who you say you are and what you actually did this week. A measurement, not a judgement.

SeeTryLivePursuing Purpose

potentia, power that has not been used yet

Potential

Potential is not a compliment. It is stored energy with no work done, and it stays that way until something is spent.

SeeTryLiveHarvesting Habits

Every model here is open to read. Once you're in, the app puts one to work against your own life: a scenario to try it on, a quest to live it, and the proof landing on your arc.

The ladder: using a mental model

See it. Try it. Live it.

Seeing a model takes four minutes. Trying it against a scenario takes one decision. Living it takes a real Mindset Shift, written down on a day it actually cost you something, and that's the only rung that moves anything on your character.

Knowing a model and living by one are separated by about six months of ordinary Tuesdays. The ladder is built to make that gap visible rather than to pretend it isn't there.

Inversion, on your line

See

Ask what guarantees failure, then refuse to do that.

Try

Two job offers. Which one has the failure you could not live with?

Live

"Turned down the role with the commute. Wrote down why. 14 Mar."

The proof is the part that lands on your arc, because it is the only part that happened.

Frequently Asked Questions

The things people ask about the models.

What they are

What is a mental model?
A thinking framework you can use in the moment something is at stake. Each one here arrives with the origin of the word, the mechanism underneath it, and somewhere to write down what happened when you used it.
What's the difference between a model and a concept?
A model is a way to think about a decision. A concept is a short explainer of what your brain is doing, like rumination or selective attention. Using one is a choice; the other is simply how the machinery works.
Where do the models come from?
Philosophy, psychology, and the people who used them first. Every model names its origin and the mechanism it leans on, so you can check it instead of taking our word for it.

Using them

How do I actually use one?
Read it when you're deciding something rather than when you're browsing, then write down what happened. One model tested against a real situation is worth more than ten you can name.
Do I have to read them in order?
No. Take the one that matches what you're facing this week and leave the rest where they are.
What is a Mindset Shift?
What you believe about yourself once a model has landed, written before and after in your own words. It's the outcome the library exists for, and it's the one thing money can't open.

Reading them

Are the models free to read?
Yes, every one on this site is open. The idea was never the thing you pay for. What a membership adds is what the app does with a model against your own life.
How many models are there?
Six are open on this site today, and more are written as they earn their place. A model joins the library once it has survived contact with a real decision.