Naval Ravikant: Practical Wisdom

This blog is about key learnings from the book the “ The Almanack of Naval Ravikant “ by Eric Jorgenson.

After reading the below long pointers anytime — it should lead to you in the right direction :

Two words to describe this book: Practical Wisdom

It has the premise of eastern philosophy from a person grown in India, was brought to the USA and has been part of the startup community for more than 2 decades. This is a must-read for everyone post-college.

Sharing my important pointers.

a. Building Wealth: Productize (leverage ) Yourself ( Accountability)

1. Getting rich is not about hard work. It is about knowing what to do, who to do it with and when to do it. It is more about understanding than purely hard work. Hard work needs to be directed in the right way.

2. Wealth is having assets that earn while you sleep.

3. Become a perpetual learner

4. Long term games with long term people

5. Intentions don’t matter. Actions do. That is why ethical is hard.

6. 99% of the effort is wasted

7. Forget rich versus poor, white-collar versus blue-collar. It’s now leveraged versus un-leveraged

8. New generation’s fortunes are all made through code or media.

9. Never going to get rich by renting out your time. Earn with your mind, not your time.

10. All you care about actual work itself

11. We waste our time with short-term thinking and busy work. Warren Buffet spends a year deciding and a day acting. That act lasts decades.

12. Be Optimistic. Be Positive. It’s important. Optimists do better in the long run.

13. Find work that feels like play

14. Whether in commerce, science, or politics — history remembers the artist. Art is creativity

15. Your character and your reputation are things you can build.

16. Apply specific knowledge with leverage and eventually, you will get what you deserve

B. Building Judgement: If you can’t decide. The answer is no.

1. There is no shortcut to smart

2. Picking the direction, you are heading in every decision is far, far more important than how much force you apply.

3. Clear thinker is a better compliment than smart.

4. Smartest people can explain things to a child. If you can’t explain it to a child, then you don’t know it.

5. The number one thing clouding us from being able to see reality is we have preconceived notions of the way it should be.

6. The problem is not reality. The problem is their desire which is colliding with reality and preventing them from seeing the truth.

7. At least one day a week (preferably two) where you just have time to think (no meetings)

8. To be honest, speak without identity

9. Charisma is the ability to project confidence and love at the same time

10. Praise Specifically, criticize generally.

11. If you have two choices to make, and they are relatively equal choices, take the path more difficult and more painful in the short term.

C. Learning Happiness: Every desire is chosen unhappiness.

1. Don’t take yourself so seriously. You are just a monkey with a plan

2. Happiness is there when you remove the sense of something missing in your life.

3. Happiness is mainly not suffering, not desiring, not thinking too much about the future or the past, and really embracing the present moment and reality of what is, and the way it is.

4. The world really reflects your own feelings back to you. Reality is neutral. Reality has no judgement.

5. Most of it is going to come from acceptance, not from changing your external environment.

6. Enlightenment is the space between your thoughts.

7. A happy person isn’t someone who’s happy all the time. It’s someone who effortlessly interprets events in such a way that they don’t lose their innate peace.

8. The three big ones in life are wealth, health, and happiness. We pursue them in that order, but the importance is reversed.

9. You should do what you are meant to do.

10. Happiness is being satisfied with what you have. Success comes from dissatisfaction. Choose.

11. Envy is the enemy of happiness.

12. The reality is life is a single-player game

13. Happiness is built by Habits — Peace & Happiness are skills

14. Not eating sugar will keep your mood more stable.

15. If you can’t see yourself working with someone for life, don’t work with them for a day

16. Stop asking why and start saying wow.

17. The more you judge, the more you separate yourself.

18. Tell your friends you are a happy person.

19. First, you know it. Then, you understand it. Then you can explain it. Then, you can feel it. Finally, you are it.

20. Changing Habits :

Pick one thing. Cultivate a desire. Visualize it.

Plan a sustainable path.

Identity needs, triggers and substitutes.

Tell your friends.

Track meticulously

Self-discipline is a bridge to a new self-image.

Bake in the new self-image. It’s who you are — now.

21. Embrace Death

D. Saving Yourself: Ultimately, you have to take responsibility. Passionate Intensity.

1. Your goal in life is to find the people, business, project, or art that needs you the most. There is something out there just for you.

2. To make an original contribution, you have to be irrationally obsessed with something

3. Meditation is intermittent fasting for the mind.

4. Easy choices, hard life. Hard choices, easy life.

5. Most of our suffering comes from avoidance.

6. Choiceless Awareness or Nonjudgmental awareness

7. 90 per cent of thoughts are fear-based. 10 per cent may be desire-based

8. Sit there and close your eyes for at least one hour a day. You surrender to whatever happens and don’t make any effort whatsoever.

9. You are a level of awareness.

10. Try to be in awareness mode and not activate the monkey mind, which is always worried, frightened and anxious.

11. The mind itself is a muscle — it can be trained and conditioned.

12. The greatest superpower is the ability to change yourself.

13. Impatience with Actions, patience with results.

14. When you really want to change, you change.

15. Inspiration is perishable. When you have inspiration, act on it right then and there.

16. Read everything you can.

17. Value your time. Don’t waste your time.

18. Don’t spend your time making other people happy. Other people being happy is their problem. It’s not your problem. If you are happy, it makes other people happy.

E. Philosophy: The real truths are heresies. They cannot be spoken. Only discovered, whispered, and perhaps read.

1. Peer relationships: No hierarchical relationships. Don’t be above anybody or don’t be below anybody.

2. Anger is hot coal you hold in your hand while waiting to throw it at somebody.

3. Honesty is a core, core, core value.

4. Wisdom is understanding the long-term consequences of your actions.

5. Before you can lie to another, you must first lie to yourself.

6. Work on things that have a long-term payout. No short-term thinking or dealings.

Health, love, and your mission, in that order. Nothing else matters.