Naval Ravikant's Happiness Theory

written by JOSH GESSNER | The Journey

Quick Announcement: Personal Brand Builder:

In December 2023, I had 100 followers.

Now, I have over 15,000 and connected with amazing creators, founders and investors.

Out of demand, I’m helping people who don’t have the time to craft high quality content build their personal brand.

If this is you, reply to this email with what you do, and why you want to build a personal brand. Excited to talk to you!

Today at a Glance:

Most people are unhappy.

So, I've spent 100 hours studying Naval Ravikant over 2 years .

What I found?

Naval's Happiness Theory:

Happiness is a skill that can be learned.

Over the years, Naval went from a 2/10 to 9/10 in happiness.

"Happiness... is a highly personal skill that can be learned, like fitness or nutrition.

Happiness is a choice.

Nature has no concept of happiness or unhappiness.

You’re born, you have a whole set of sensory experiences and then you die.

How you choose to interpret them is up to you - its your choice.

Happiness is when nothing is missing.

It's when you remove the sense that something is missing from your life.

We constantly walk around thinking:

"I need this, I need that"

Which keeps us trapped in unhappiness.

Happiness is the absence of desire.

"Desire is a contract you make with yourself until you get what you want."

We go about our lives desiring things all day long and wonder why we're unhappy.

One overwhelming desire, let go of everything else.

Happiness is presence.

A very small percentage of our brain is focused on the present.

Most of the time, its worry about the future or regretting the past.

This is what makes being grateful so hard.

Happiness is total insignificance of self.

The universe doesn't conform to your desires.

We're insignificant bacteria in the vast universe.

Life is just the way it is. And accepting that - brings peace.

Happiness is peace.

During moments of great pleasure:

• kite-surfing

• laughing with a friend

• looking at an incredible sunset

Your mind goes silent.

You're at peace.

Happiness is less anxiety

Anxiety is a series of running thoughts, the constant chattering of the mind.

How Naval combats anxiety:

“Would I rather be having this thought right now, or would I rather have my peace?”

Happiness is in the mind.

The mind is as malleable as the body.

We try to change the external world, all while neglecting our minds.

"Memory and identity are burdens from the past preventing us from living freely in the present."

Happiness is not success.

We all encounter hedonic adaptation: we quickly get used to anything.

Happiness is separate from your external situation.

"The idea you’re going to change the outside world, to bring you peace, everlasting joy, and happiness is a delusion"

Happiness is destroyed by envy.

Envy is poison that can eat you alive if you let it follow you around.

"If you’re not willing to do a wholesale, 24/7, 100 percent swap with who that person is, then there is no point in being jealous."

Happiness is built by habits.

• Meditation

• Eliminate desires

• Spend your time learning, earning or relaxing.

"Essentially, you have to go through your life replacing your thoughtless bad habits with good ones"

Happiness is acceptance

We don’t always get what we want, but sometimes what is happening is for the best.

The sooner you can accept it as reality:

The sooner you can adapt to it, and find peace.

Happiness is embracing death.

You’re going to die one day, and none of this is going to matter.

"Enjoy yourself. Do something positive. Project some love. Make someone happy. Laugh a little bit. Appreciate the moment."

Happiness is all there is.

There is no legacy.

There’s nothing to leave.

We’re all going to be gone.

Our children will be gone.

"In the grand scheme of things, the Universe has been around for ten billion years. It’ll be around for another ten billion years."

Happiness is a responsibility.

Our lives are a blink of an eye firefly in the night.

We need to take advantage of the time we have here.

We have the responsibility to be happy for the small amount of time we have.

Boom. That’s it!

I hope you enjoyed this read.

Please share it with others if you found it valuable!