This post is part of the đź“– The Almanack of Naval Ravikant series.


Today, I am still reading Happiness Is Built by Habits section of the HAPPINESS chapter from the book, The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness written by Author, Jack Butcher.

TL;DR! đź’¬

Getting rich is not just about luck; happiness is not just a trait we are born with. These aspirations may seem out of reach, but building wealth and being happy are skills we can learn.

So what are these skills, and how do we learn them? What are the principles that should guide our efforts? What does progress really look like?

The Book The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness is a collection of Naval’s wisdom and experience from the last ten years, shared as a curation of his most insightful interviews and poignant reflections.


Yesterday, I started reading Envy Is the Enemy of Happiness section from the HAPPINESS chapter.

Part II

HAPPINESS

Happiness Is Built by Habits

Peace and happiness are skills. These are not things you are born with. Yes, there is a genetic range. And a lot of it is conditioning from your environment, but you can un-condition and recondition yourself.

You can increase your happiness over time, and it starts with believing you can do it.

It’s a skill. Just like nutrition is a skill, dieting is a skill, working out is a skill, making money is a skill, meeting girls and guys is a skill, having good relationships is a skill, even love is a skill.

It starts with realizing they’re skills you can learn.

When working, surround yourself with people more successful than you. When playing, surround yourself with people happier than you.

What type of skill is happiness?

It’s all trial and error. You just see what works.

You can try sitting meditation. Did that work for you? Was it Tantra meditation, or was it Vipassana meditation? Was it a ten-day retreat, or were twenty minutes enough?

Okay. None of those worked. But what if I tried yoga? What if I kite-surfed? What if I go car racing? What about cooking? Does that make me Zen?

You literally have to try all of these things until you find something that works for you.

How does someone build the skill of happiness?

You can build good habits. Essentially, you have to go through your life, replacing your thoughtless bad habits with good ones, making a commitment to be a happier person.

You are a combination of your habits and the people you spend the most time with.

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

Key Takeaways

  • When it comes to medicines for the mind, the placebo effect is 100 per cent effective.

  • When it comes to your mind, you want to be positively inclined, not incredulous in belief. If it is fully internal, you should have a positive mindset.

Summary

  • Don’t hang around people who constantly engage in conflict.

  • The most important trick to being happy is to realize happiness is a skill you develop and a choice you make.

  • You choose to be happy, and then you work at it. It’s just like building muscles. It’s just like losing weight. It’s just like succeeding at your job. It’s just like learning calculus.

That’s it for today. Tomorrow, we will read the Happiness Habits section from the HAPPINESS chapter from this great book.

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The Almanack of Naval Ravikant

Author(s): Eric Jorgenson

Short Blurb: Getting rich is not just about luck; happiness is not just a trait we are born with. These … Read more
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Part 21 of 33 in the đź“– The Almanack of Naval Ravikant book series.

Series Start | The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness - Day 20 | The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness - Day 22



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