Naval identifies three universal human desires: wealth, happiness, and physical health. “Everybody wants to be wealthy, everybody wants to be happy and everybody wants to be fit. That’s the trifecta”.
These aren’t separate goals but interconnected systems. “Fitness can be a choice, health can be a choice, nutrition can be a choice, working hard and making money can be a choice, happiness is also a choice”. All three require the same fundamental skill: delayed gratification.
Naval sees this trinity as his life’s work: “I’ve got the one on wealth creation, I’m going to attempt to do one on happiness and inner peace and calm”. He refuses to optimize for one at the expense of others. You don’t want to be “the guy who succeeds in life while being high strung, high stress, and unhappy and leaving a trail of emotional wreckage.”
The trifecta represents Naval’s rejection of zero-sum thinking. Most people believe you must sacrifice health for wealth, or happiness for success. Naval proves you can compound all three simultaneously through aligned systems and habits.