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Naval admitted this was a clickbait title. It should read “How to Get Wealth”, which he admits requires luck/timing. One criticism I have of Naval is he thinks

Naval admitted this was a clickbait title. It should read “How to Get Wealth”, which he admits requires luck/timing. One criticism I have of Naval is he thinks anyone can get wealth. Overall his material is A+ for anyone with average intelligence.

piyush_soni 4y ago
I went through many of famous 'sayings'. I found them way too simplistic at best (so much so that they end up being completely useless). He says abstract things like "learn to sell, learn to build, if you can do both, you will be unstoppable". Oh really? Isn't it known to everyone? But how to do that, that is the hard part. I could have just said "learn to be like Steve Jobs, then you will be unstoppable" instead. Correct, but of no value.
- piyush_soni 4y ago
  Moreover, I very politely found out some logical flaws in some other comments of his on Twitter. I'm a nobody, he's the famous Naval. Just on that small thing he blocked me (no, I didn't use any rude words or bad language etc.)! I found it too shallow for a person of his stature.
  - sedeki 4y ago
    What do you mean by "logical flaw" in these sort of motivational/inspiring-type quotes?
    - piyush_soni 4y ago
      Two of his quotes that were logically inconsistent with each other. I forgot the exact ones and can't search them right now but that was it.
- meken 4y ago
  I agree. All the “advice” is describing what the end state looks like. How any one person achieves that end state is a complete mystery, and it’s not clear at all to me that knowing how the end state looks is useful for getting there. In fact, I would say it’s more often a detriment.
  - lanamo 4y ago
    relevant: how to draw an owl http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/572/078/d6d.jpg http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/572/078/d6d...
    - gerhardhaering 4y ago
      Gold.
- vineyardmike 4y ago
  > Oh really? Isn't it known to everyone? But how to do that, that is the hard part. 100% agree. The only thing I think is meaningful, and its not specific to gaining wealth, is the part about becoming the person you want to be, about making your own luck. I'm not particularly wealth (yet?), but I think broadly in life, making your own success is something people don't do enough, at every level in life. You're not going to win the lottery without buying a ticket, and planning has better odds than the Powerball. Specifically, I've noticed some people are always waiting. Waiting for the right moment, waiting for a sign, waiting for enough experience, waiting for an opportunity, waiting for something. For example, I have a good job. People want my job, and ask me how I got it. Yes, I have a good degree, and had prior good jobs, and did well, etc. But people with more experience and better degrees bring up how they wish they could have my job. They could! They're just waiting for one more successful project on their resume, or a less busy time to start interviewing, or a few more academic accolades, or whatever. Many people I talk to about their career (friends, family etc, I'm not a coach) will tell me the exact steps they think they should take to be successful, and why it's the right steps, but few of them are taking those steps. My cousin is 35yo wants to be an artist, but she struggles to sell her art (understandable struggle, but IMO her art seems particularly monetize-able). I asked her how she might succeed, since she complained she wasn't satisfied, and she immediately listed off a bunch of things she could do (put art on pillows, create art for tourist souvenirs in her city, illustrate for books, etc). BUT she only tried one thing a few years prior, and it didn't work so she stopped while waiting for the right opportunity to try again. Would she succeed? IDK, art is hard to succeed in. But I know she won't succeed without trying again, and she probably shouldn't wait for an unsolicited email from Hallmark or MOMA to give her a big break.
  - adrianmsmith 4y ago
    > Specifically, I've noticed some people are always waiting. Waiting for the right moment, waiting for a sign, waiting for enough experience, waiting for an opportunity, waiting for something. I think one reason for this is the fear of failure. If I say “in the future I’ll do X and be successful” then I can live in that fantasy: “I am successful - just not yet”. If I actually do X I know there’s a chance it might not succeed.
- MonkeyClub 4y ago
  Yes, “learn to be unstoppable and you’ll be unstoppable” is a convenient tautology.
bitexploder 4y ago
Survivorship bias is a hell of a drug. And people really look up to the survivors. Thing is most people can’t tell you they will be wealthy before they are :)
- blippage 4y ago
  Nassim Taleb has something to say on this. The wealth is in the long tails, the Jobs, Gates, etc. If you take the mean income of all people running businesses, then it's probably less than the average worker.
  - badpun 4y ago
    I doubt that. Most businesses hire employees, and they pay them less than the owners pay themselves (as otherwise, what's the point of having a business?).
    - yunwal 4y ago
      The point of having a business is a chance at the long tail
      - badpun 4y ago
        99% of business owners don't have a hope of hitting it big (at least I hope so, because they never will). It's just that, for them, being an owner of a small plumbing operation and making $200k off of it beats being a plumber in somebody else's operation and making $70k.

piyush_soni 4y ago

I went through many of famous 'sayings'. I found them way too simplistic at best (so much so that they end up being completely useless). He says abstract things like "learn to sell, learn to build, if you can do both, you will be unstoppable". Oh really? Isn't it known to everyone? But how to do that, that is the hard part. I could have just said "learn to be like Steve Jobs, then you will be unstoppable" instead. Correct, but of no value.

piyush_soni 4y ago
Moreover, I very politely found out some logical flaws in some other comments of his on Twitter. I'm a nobody, he's the famous Naval. Just on that small thing he blocked me (no, I didn't use any rude words or bad language etc.)! I found it too shallow for a person of his stature.
- sedeki 4y ago
  What do you mean by "logical flaw" in these sort of motivational/inspiring-type quotes?
  - piyush_soni 4y ago
    Two of his quotes that were logically inconsistent with each other. I forgot the exact ones and can't search them right now but that was it.
meken 4y ago
I agree. All the “advice” is describing what the end state looks like. How any one person achieves that end state is a complete mystery, and it’s not clear at all to me that knowing how the end state looks is useful for getting there. In fact, I would say it’s more often a detriment.
- lanamo 4y ago
  relevant: how to draw an owl http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/572/078/d6d.jpg http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/572/078/d6d...
  - gerhardhaering 4y ago
    Gold.
vineyardmike 4y ago
> Oh really? Isn't it known to everyone? But how to do that, that is the hard part. 100% agree. The only thing I think is meaningful, and its not specific to gaining wealth, is the part about becoming the person you want to be, about making your own luck. I'm not particularly wealth (yet?), but I think broadly in life, making your own success is something people don't do enough, at every level in life. You're not going to win the lottery without buying a ticket, and planning has better odds than the Powerball. Specifically, I've noticed some people are always waiting. Waiting for the right moment, waiting for a sign, waiting for enough experience, waiting for an opportunity, waiting for something. For example, I have a good job. People want my job, and ask me how I got it. Yes, I have a good degree, and had prior good jobs, and did well, etc. But people with more experience and better degrees bring up how they wish they could have my job. They could! They're just waiting for one more successful project on their resume, or a less busy time to start interviewing, or a few more academic accolades, or whatever. Many people I talk to about their career (friends, family etc, I'm not a coach) will tell me the exact steps they think they should take to be successful, and why it's the right steps, but few of them are taking those steps. My cousin is 35yo wants to be an artist, but she struggles to sell her art (understandable struggle, but IMO her art seems particularly monetize-able). I asked her how she might succeed, since she complained she wasn't satisfied, and she immediately listed off a bunch of things she could do (put art on pillows, create art for tourist souvenirs in her city, illustrate for books, etc). BUT she only tried one thing a few years prior, and it didn't work so she stopped while waiting for the right opportunity to try again. Would she succeed? IDK, art is hard to succeed in. But I know she won't succeed without trying again, and she probably shouldn't wait for an unsolicited email from Hallmark or MOMA to give her a big break.
- adrianmsmith 4y ago
  > Specifically, I've noticed some people are always waiting. Waiting for the right moment, waiting for a sign, waiting for enough experience, waiting for an opportunity, waiting for something. I think one reason for this is the fear of failure. If I say “in the future I’ll do X and be successful” then I can live in that fantasy: “I am successful - just not yet”. If I actually do X I know there’s a chance it might not succeed.
MonkeyClub 4y ago
Yes, “learn to be unstoppable and you’ll be unstoppable” is a convenient tautology.

bitexploder 4y ago

Survivorship bias is a hell of a drug. And people really look up to the survivors. Thing is most people can’t tell you they will be wealthy before they are :)

blippage 4y ago
Nassim Taleb has something to say on this. The wealth is in the long tails, the Jobs, Gates, etc. If you take the mean income of all people running businesses, then it's probably less than the average worker.
- badpun 4y ago
  I doubt that. Most businesses hire employees, and they pay them less than the owners pay themselves (as otherwise, what's the point of having a business?).
  - yunwal 4y ago
    The point of having a business is a chance at the long tail
    - badpun 4y ago
      99% of business owners don't have a hope of hitting it big (at least I hope so, because they never will). It's just that, for them, being an owner of a small plumbing operation and making $200k off of it beats being a plumber in somebody else's operation and making $70k.