JANUARY 13, 2022
A few weeks ago, I received a package from Amazon that had the book Do Epic Shit by Ankur Warikoo. I opened the package, flicked through a few pages, and thought, “Well, this might be another interesting motivational book that will give me some good advice on improving my life.”
Then, the book went on my shelf, and I returned to my work.
When I picked up Do Epic Shit again and started reading, my entire perception changed.
This book was not like the typical non-fiction books I read, and I quite liked that!
What’s different about Do Epic Shit?
Do Epic Shit is a book that has no start and no end!
Yes, you read that right!
You can open the book on page 132, and you’ll not feel that you’re missing out on something. Your journey can start from that point.
On page 210, it’s the same, and so is it on page 1.
Every page will give you a new learning, a new insight, and a reminder to improve some aspect of your life.
Yet, when you read the book in one go, you won’t feel as if what you’re reading is entirely unrelated to what you read on the last page. Everything is interrelated yet independent of each other.
Along with that, there’s nothing new in this book. Yes. The author, Ankur Warikoo, begins the introduction with this line: “This book may very well turn out to be one of the most useless book you will ever buy. Because nothing in this book is something that you don’t know of.”
And after finishing the book, I can say that it will not be the most useless book that you buy. But as the author wrote, Do Epic Shit will not give you any new revelation or secret that will instantly make you successful.
Everything this book talks about is something we already know but have never practiced.
One of my favorite lines from this book is, “There is temporary discomfort in doing the unconventional. There is permanent discomfort in living life as a template.”
We all know that to become successful, we have to do unconventional things, and there is discomfort in doing that. But even after realizing this, we don’t often take action. These kinds of direct reminders push us towards that action.
Every page acts as that kind of reminder, and that’s what makes this a beautiful, different, and unique book!
What’s in the book Do Epic Shit?
Do Epic Shit is a book that has lessons that Ankur Warikoo has learned throughout his life and shares them in 6 parts:
- Success (and failure). In this first part, Ankur Warikoo talks about his journey of dealing with successes and failures. He talks about various aspects of it and how we sometimes misunderstand what success and failure mean. It breaks the myth that success is just the result of getting lucky. Ankur shares his interesting failure resume that inspires us to accept our failures and grow through them.
- Habits. Just going behind a goal and achieving success is not enough. If we become a negative, sad, and self-centered person through that, then there won’t be any failure bigger than that. While going for a goal, we must also consider the kind of person we are becoming, which Ankur Warikoo talks about in this part. When we build habits instead of just goals, we become better people and grow.
- Awareness. Making decisions from the point of ignorance is a big mistake we all continue to make. When we are aware, we make better choices that we don’t regret. In this section, Ankur Warikoo shares his takes on awareness and how we can make better decisions by becoming more aware.
- Entrepreneurship. A key highlight of Ankur Warikoo’s life has been being an entrepreneur. Thus, he shares invaluable lessons that he has learned along his journey and how new entrepreneurs can avoid those and build startups that impact the world.
- Money. Let’s face it. Money is an integral part of our lives. As much as we like to say that money doesn’t matter, or money won’t give you happiness, the reality is that we need money to survive and fulfill our needs and wants, leading to a stress-free and happier life. Yet money is one topic that we talk about the least in our households. We don’t discuss investing, saving, earning, and growing our sources of income. That’s what Ankur is changing with this part of the book. He shares the mistakes he made with money and how we can have a better relationship with it that continues to serve us well.
- Relationships. Finally, the last part of the book talks about the most essential things in our lives: our relationship with ourselves and with others. Through this part, Ankur Warikoo takes us on a candid journey of how he grew his relationships in life and openly shares about the mistakes he made. My favorite section from this part of the book is the letter he writes to his children, which shows us the importance of appreciating the tiny little things in our lives! And that’s the best way to end this book!
Through these six sections, we read about almost all of the significant aspects of our lives, from making money, finding the right people, achieving success to becoming a better, happier, and more fulfilled person. Some people might feel that in the efforts to make each page independent of the other and by covering so many different topics, the book has not achieved the kind of depth one may expect and has spread too thin. But that depends on person to person and how they perceive it.
For any person looking to get daily positive reminders that help them become better day by day, Do Epic Shit is a great book! It will inspire you, motivate you, and strike you hard to reflect, learn, and improve!
Grab your copy now on Amazon!
Partnering in your success, happiness, and Growth,
Prabhsimrat