Thread by @VidyaG88

1/21
Good books are a smooth read.
The great ones aren't.

Why so? 🤔

They force you to pause,to reflect & think hard.
They make you question yourself.

Sharing few of my takeaways from one such exceptional book of 2021.

Thank you @naval & @EricJorgenson for this ! :))

A 🧵

2/21
🔹Productize Yourself

Meaning,
Leverage specific knowledge -> Scale it -> Get wealthy.

Takes decades as one needs time to figure out what they can UNIQUELY provide.

But FIND & BUILD SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE for it can't be taught & can only be learnt.

More here
👇

3/21
"The best jobs are neither decreed or degreed.They are creative expressions of continuous learners in free markets."

Be a perpetual learner.
Know HOW to learn.

Foundations are the key.
They help learn HOW & HOW MUCH.
Club this with Authenticity to create something unique.

4/21
🔹Play long term games with long term people

🔹99% effort is wasted.
However they are not a waste.
These are merely learning experiences that delve deep into our psyche & become a piece of what we currently are.

Same goes for the books we read, the activities we pursue!

5/21
"If you don't own a piece of business, you don't have a path towards Financial Freedom."

Ownership matters. Put that money to work sensibly. Let it compound too.

"Forget rich vs poor, white collar vs blue.
It is now Leveraged vs Un-leveraged."

Elaborated here
👇

6/21
Demonstrated judgement with high accountability & a clear track record is critical.
Once a reputation is built, people will throw infinite leverage because of judgement - Take the case of Warren Buffett.

Being extreme in your art is very important in the age of leverage.

7/21
Something profound.

Value your time.
You will NEVER be worth more than you think you are.

Set a high benchmark & treat yourself that way. Know YOUR WORTH.

ALWAYS factor your TIME into EVERY decision : Outsource where possible for TIME is LIMITED.

8/21

Relative mindset does no one any good.
We shall always dislike people who do better than us.

Having an open mindset matters.

Be positive, be optimistic and stay away from the status game for it is a zero-sum gain.

There is no need to put anyone down to make your point.

9/21
Get OFF the Hedonic Treadmill.
Get RICH WITHOUT getting LUCKY.

What we desire is Freedom.
Don't confuse it to Retirement.

The key to getting out of competition is

🔹To be Authentic
🔹Find WHAT you know to do better than anybody
🔹Figure out HOW to map it out to society
👇

10/21
Showcase your craft , practise it ethically and the right people shall eventually find you.

Deep down inside we all KNOW who WE essentially ARE.
Hence associate wisely.

Think twice & be careful about doing things you aren't going to be proud about.
Values matter.

11/21
Work smart. Not necessary to work hard always.
Learn to think clearly.( The Feynman Approach )

Time is important.
Judgement more so.

Understand the Long Term consequences of your actions & try to capitalise them.

This helps in the process of decision making.

12/21
Habits can make us / break us.
Learn to uncondition yourself & recognise habits as is as you grow.

Deconstruct to Reconstruct.

True for ego as well which get built in our formative years.

( Draw parallels to Atomic Habits & The Courage to be Disliked for more.)

13/21
🔹On Decision Making & Heuristics
Eliminate -> Focus -> Achieve

🔹On Honesty
Remember Richard Feynman,
"Don't try to fool anybody, for you are the easiest person to fool."

Critique the approach , not the person.
Appreciate the person more than the thought.

14/21
The brain is a memory prediction machine.
Read up on Mental Models to help enhance Decision Making.

These are compact ways to help recall one's own knowledge, deep seated principles where one has the experience to back it up.

Invert, always invert !
Run Uphill !
👇

15/21
My fav part - On Reading !!

Savour a good book* -> Absorb it -> Assimilate it -> Implement it

Skim through the others.
Know what you like to read.Spend time reading that.
Revisit books or just read bits of a book - All work.

* The voracious reader in me, agrees🤓

16/21
"The three big ones in life are Wealth, Health and Happiness. We pursue them in that order but their importance is reverse."

Happiness is learned. It's a skill, ever evolving , to be honed.

For one can be unhappy even in a calm environment or be happy amidst chaos.

17/21
Doctors won't make you healthy.
Nutritionists won't make you slim.
Teachers won't make you smart.
Gurus won't make you calm.
Mentors won't make you rich.
Trainers won't make you fit.

Ultimately,you have to take responsibility.

SAVE YOURSELF.

18/21
Another gem by @naval

"When you really want to change , you just change. But most of us don't really want to change - we don't want to go through the pain yet .

Atleast recognise it , be aware of it, and give yourself a smaller change you can actually carry out."

19/21
On the meaning & purpose of life.

There is no meaning. No purpose.
It's personal*. Different for all.
We have to find our own meaning.
Our own purpose.
THE PRESENT IS ALL WE HAVE.

*I have connected the dots to my learnings from the Gita, Zen , Tao & few other writers.

20/21

Sharing Life Formulae by Naval .

We can always tweak these to our preferences.
These are just basic algorithms for success.

Health , Love and your Mission , in that order.

Nothing else matters.

21/21
Finally, Thank You @EricJorgenson for creating this book as a public service.

You are right when you state - Tweets, Podcasts and Interviews quickly get buried and lost. But knowledge via books is timeless.

Get the free pdf here : navalmanack.com