Naval Ravikant made me re-think success
As Tim Ferris said, people consider themselves as a good people watcher, but I consider myself an excellent Naval-watcher.
We all know that Naval Ravikant is not an armchair expert but an exceptional and world-class operator.
There is a lot of him around. His Tweets, his podcasts appearances and speeches are all little wisdom diamonds.
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant is a brilliant, thoughtful and stunning compilation of Naval in one place. Eric has put blood, sweat and tears into making it.
You'll learn how to get rich without getting lucky, why you need to use leverage, how to be happier, and countless more wonderful tips for a better life.
He has highly influenced me in working hard, learning continuously and thinking about myself in a long term timeframe.
Here are some things directly from Naval which I will need a semiannual remainder of, hope you like it.
“Optimistic contrarians are the rarest breed.”
Impatience with actions, patience with results.
Making money is not a thing you do –– it's a skill you learn. You should not grind at a lot of hard work until you figure out what you should be working on.
I would love to be purely paid for my judgment, not for any work. I want a robot, capital, or computer to do the work, but I want to be paid for my judgment. If you're going to live in a city for 10 years if you're going to be in a job for 5 years if you're going to be in a relationship for a decade...You should be spending 1-2 years deciding these things. Those 3 things really matter.
The three big ones in life are wealth, health, and happiness.
We pursue them in that order but their importance is in the reverse.
If you eat, invest, and think according to what the ‘news’ advocates, you’ll end up nutritionally, financially and morally bankrupt.
I think this book deserves to sell 10 million+ copies.
There are so many aphorisms along with life-changing and mind-altering thoughts which should be mandatory teaching in high school, I feel.
ENDNOTE: An excerpt from a Nobel-winning book
“Ideally, what should be said to every child, repeatedly, throughout his or her school life is something like this: 'You are in the process of being indoctrinated. We have not yet evolved a system of education that is not a system of indoctrination. We are sorry, but it is the best we can do. What you are being taught here is an amalgam of current prejudice and the choices of this particular culture. The slightest look at history will show how impermanent these must be. You are being taught by people who have been able to accommodate themselves to a regime of thought laid down by their predecessors. It is a self-perpetuating system. Those of you who are more robust and individual than others will be encouraged to leave and find ways of educating yourself — educating your own judgements. Those that stay must remember, always, and all the time, that they are being moulded and patterned to fit into the narrow and particular needs of this particular society.”
― Doris Lessing, The Golden Notebook
👋 The End
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