Do Epic Shit by Ankur Warikoo: Book Review
Every human has a story to tell, whether it is about his professional life or personal one. And where do we find those stories?
Of course, books.
I mean yes, there are various other sources available too, like films, songs, travelogues, personal talks, and many more. But books will always remain at the top of all. They were and always will. Isn't it? Maybe there will come a time when fewer people read books. If that happens, I think I’ll still be glad that I was once a reader.
I read books, not an avid reader like I once was. But slowly getting off to a good start with that old habit of reading and collecting stories of people from all the stuff that exists on this planet. Why? It's simple: so I can then explain things to you through my words.
Okay, so now let's simply come to the main point. My brain kept on nudging me to give a review of this book, which I finished reading a few weeks back. Usually, I don't do reviews, but I think now I had better start doing that. This review is about a non-fiction book, 'Do Epic Shit', written by Ankur Warikoo. So if you are into books, then keep reading, as this is going to be a short review, not getting into much detail.
The Author
I hope you all know about Warikoo, and if you don't, Google it now. I have been following Ankur for the last four years through his multiple social channels, primarily YouTube. I like exploring different people through their content, but very few resonate with me. And he is one of them. His knowledge about finance, life, and career is what makes me stick with him through all these years. So I picked his debut book, and yeah, I absolutely loved it. This book is divided into six parts: Success, Habits, Awareness, Entrepreneurship, Money, and Relationships. Basically, he shared his setbacks and breakthroughs in each section through this book.
The Review
Success (and failure): This part is all about life. It is more like a reminder that failures, along with success, are an inevitable part of figuring life out. This section lets you answer questions like: How to become better? How to choose the right things? How to elevate yourself? It is followed by a series of mistakes he made in his 20s and 30s, along with the lessons he learned from them.
Habits: This chapter taught me a lot about habits and their importance in life. Why habits are important to build? What changes can habits bring in life that have a serious impact on you in the long run? How habits make you more productive? This section was needed and quite helpful, though.
Awareness: This section teaches you how crucial it is to make better decisions in life. Not by being an impulsive individual but by being a prudent one. So many lessons even resonated with me, and I learned that yes, I wasn't wrong. This part will be helpful for those who feel stuck in life.
Entrepreneurship: This is for all the entrepreneurs out there. Those who have built something or are on the way to building something. Entrepreneurship is not for all, it is only meant for risk-takers. It is for those who seek things outside their comfortable life and want to provide value to society through their contribution. The ones who actually want to live a meaningful life. Here he shared the lessons that he learned from both roles: an employee and a founder. This is so far my favourite part of the book.
Money: In this part, he shares the misconceptions about money. The financial mistakes he made in life and the lessons we must learn from him. Followed by the lies at the end that every middle-class family teaches to their children about money. I learned a lot from this section, as I had never taken money and personal finance quite so seriously before.
Relationships: Everything has its own importance in life, but life without people is so meaningless. This chapter defines it so well. And I somehow understood why he kept this one in the end. He concludes everything he learned from the important people in his life: parents, mentors, colleagues, friends, his partner, and children. So many thoughts resonated with me. Also, it taught me why self-love is important.
The Best Part
The thing that made me emotional was the series of happenings where he shared his roles in the end, both as a child and a parent. He shared how tough his life was when he was little, and still his parents provided him with the best. And in another section, he shared the letters for his children, where he shared the hardest and happiest moments he had with them. I was reading this when I was travelling; it made me so emotional that I was closing the book, staring at the window, then reading a few pages, and then closing the book again. It really made my heart smile.
The Conclusion
This book is not something like Eat That Frog, Atomic Habits, Think and Grow Rich, or The Intelligent Investor. It doesn't have practical tips to grow your business or lifestyle. But it has something better than most of the books, i.e., real-life lessons. Imagine someone made a lot of mistakes in his 40-year lifespan, and then he shared all of that through a book. Wouldn't that be helpful? Sometimes that is better than getting logical explanations from someone more experienced than you. It is helpful because you won't repeat the same mistakes that person made. And it will save you years.
I think Ankur is not just a thoughtful and accomplished man, but someone with a genuinely kind and generous heart.
