Naval believes vocation should unite with what you love. When done right, work feels like play.
As Robert Frost said, “my goal in life is to unite my avocation with my vocation”. Naval sees this as inevitable: “If you are successful, in the long-term you’ll find you’re almost doing all of your hobbies for a living, no matter what they are”.
For Naval, authenticity eliminates competition. “No one can compete with you on being you”. Your work should express who you are. Then others cannot replicate it.
Naval discovered this through experience. He wanted to be a scientist but gravitated toward “making money, tinkering with technology, and selling people on things”. His specific knowledge emerged from what felt natural: “all of this stuff feels like play to me, but it looks like work to others”.
The internet changes everything. “The internet has massively broadened the possible space of careers”. You can monetize any niche obsession if you find your audience.
Naval seeks careers where inputs don’t match outputs. “You really just want a job, or a career, or a profession where your inputs don’t match your outputs”. This disconnection indicates leverage and creative potential.
He warns against salary addiction: “the most dangerous things are heroin and a monthly salary”. Regular paychecks trap people in jobs that drain them.
True vocation requires intrinsic motivation. “I almost won’t start a company, or hire a person, or work with somebody if I just don’t think they’re into what I want them to do”. You must genuinely want to do the work.
The goal is freedom. Wealth buys freedom from wearing ties, commuting, and grinding away productive hours in jobs that don’t fulfill you. Vocation should energize, not drain.