more naval pls

I just came off a two-week Naval Ravikant binge, initiated by his recent podcast on Modern Wisdom.

God damn this man is wise. He’s one of the few people who speak with the wisdom density of a really good audiobook.

No words wasted. Just pure, uncut, practical philosophy injected straight into the jugular.

I selfishly wrote this newsletter to consolidate what I’ve consumed. May it also be of use to you. :)

Structure your life so you can do things when you want to, not when you have to

We’ve all been force-fed the “just do it” mindset like it's gospel.

“Professionals do the work even when they don’t feel like it.”

This is true, but it can also lead to complete misery.

Discipline should build your freedom, not just endurance.

The goal is to build a life flexible enough to follow inspiration when it hits.

Build “specific knowledge”

According to Naval, specific knowledge is a unique combination of skills or knowledge that you are uniquely good at and love to do.

I wrote about this a while back in my Table-Shaped Man article. It’s much easier to become top 25% in 2-3 things as opposed to top .01% in one thing.

For example, someone skilled in coding, design, and music could carve out a niche for themselves that would be very hard to replicate.

“An elephant at a circus is kinda cool. So is a lion. But a lion ON an elephant is something unique.”

Increasing “surface area” for luck

This is an interesting rewording of “make your own luck”.

Picture yourself as a sailboat.

If you have a small sail, you won’t go very fast.

Even if you catch a massive tradewind (big lucky moment), your ability to capitalize is limited.

You increase the “surface area” of your sail through hard work and preparation.

Then, when opportunities arise, you’ll be prepared to catch the wind’s full force.

Happiness is a choice and a skill

Naval is a happy man. “Deliriously so,” in his words.

He says you can boost your “happiness baseline” over time. I believe it.

How so? Well, a big domino is how you deal with your desires:

Choose your desires wisely

“Desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want.”

This quote hits extremely hard.

The moment you desire something – a promotion, a new car, a romantic partner – you have created a condition for dissatisfaction.

You have said, consciously or not, “I won’t be happy until this is mine.”

The solution is not to have any ambition, but to choose your desires wisely.

Try to have only one major desire at a time. Something truly important. Then, let go of the rest

Stacking up too many desires (money, fame, validation, possessions, etc.) will guarantee anxiety and disappointment.

Meditate

This is another way Naval achieves his incredible levels of peace and happiness.

His practice is simple: “Sit down, close your eyes, and just observe your thoughts.”

He recommends doing this for at least an hour a day with no headphones or music.

One hour per day with no music is actually really hard. Better to start with 10 mins per day and work your way up.

I also like to break up my meditation sessions. Once in the morning when I wake up and once in the sauna after the gym.

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Hope you got 1-2 nuggets from this email.

Whether it’s saying no more often, simplifying your desires, or meditating for 10 minutes… test one thing out. The wisdom only works if you work it.

See you next week 🫡 

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Cool things I found during my weekly internet stroll.

Millionaires are racing sperm now. Pretty cool.

My absolute favorite account on Instagram ever.

Humanoid robots run a Chinese half-marathon alongside human competitors

This research student creates digital art using only math equations. Super duper cool.

Mona Lisa preparing to get painted, as seen by Al.

Served up by Spijker & me.

Estes | Marsh

Mrs Magic | Stawberry Guy

Something About You | Misha, Joyia