3 things a vacation with parents taught me Last week, I went on a vacation with my parents. This was the first time when just the 3 of us had gone for a holiday, and the idea of it was quite exciting. It turned out to be an awesome experience - much better than I had thought. Upon my return, the next day as I was meditating, I reflected on the 4 days, asking myself if there was anything new I figured about myself or them. Here they are:1. No amount of material success, social validation,...
8 days ago • 3 min read
3 questions I ask every successful person I meet What do you do in your free time? What tasks/activities make you forget about time? What problems do you enjoy solving the most? First, who do I find successful? Anyone who is in control of their life. Anyone who owns their time, peace, and work more than others controlling their time, peace, or work. As you will notice, this definition isn't about money, title, or fame. By this definition, many people who might not be called successful on...
15 days ago • 2 min read
We think we know who we are, but we don't Let me ask you the most important question of all time:Who are you? Well, you could reply - I am my name. But then, if I change your name, does that change you? Not quite. So then, who are you? Well, you could say - I am my body. But then, if I cut your hands or gave you a liver transplant, would that change you? Not quite (and not that I would cut your hands, Thakur!) So then, who are you? Well, you could say - I am my family, friends, and...
22 days ago • 3 min read
It is not about just one skill The most frequent remark I hear about career is, "Ankur, I am not good at anything." "They are good at coding. I am not.""They are good at public speaking. I am not.""They are good at editing. I am not.""They are good at sales. I am not." That is a limiting way of looking at one's career. You see, there are two ways of building an epic career. One way is to become the best at what you do. The top 1% or 5%. Most of us think that this is the only way to build an...
29 days ago • 2 min read
Don't wait for the tools "Ankur, your photos look awesome. Which phone do you use?" "Ankur, your videos are so sharp. Which camera do you use?" "Your voice sounds so clear and deep. Which mic do you use?" "You have been meditating for so long without fail, which app do you use?" These DMs make me smile :))It's equivalent of asking someone, "Your book was wonderful. Which pen did you use?" A lot of us are stuck in the wait for the right tools.The right camera, the right phone, the right...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Seek first to understand A 22-yr old wrote to me last week: I'm feeling overwhelmed by anxiety and self-doubt.My father's taunts and discouragement have hindered my pursuit of an MBA. I resent them so much. I just don't want any relationship with them. No matter how much I look toward the positive side of this, I just can't. They don't provide anything now; neither financial support nor emotional support. I'm grateful to them for giving me an education, a roof over my head, and food to eat....
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
My 2024 across the 5 things that matter 1/ Health - Hit my fittest self ever, as a 10-yr celebration of my first 6-pack abs in 2014. - Everyday routine is now 2 meals a day, 18-hr fast, 120gm+ of protein, 45 mins lifting weights, 60 mins tennis. 2/ Wealth - Investment corpus rose by an incredible 48% (not sustainable) - Current portfolio is Indian PMS: 47% (Momentum + Smallcap) Startups: 29% (Equity fund + Debt fund) Indian Stocks + MF: 11% (Large cap + Flexicap) Crypto: 7% (BTC, ETH, SOL) US...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
My top reads of 2024 I read 31 books this year and here are the best of them, according to my taste. (in no order) The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time because it is such a great summary of precisely what the book claims :) The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read because it is such a good guide on how parents shape up their kids. What I learnt about investing from Darwin because I found it fascinating how much one can learn about investing from the Darwinian theory of evolution. Bad...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
The 3 people we need in our lives There are 3 kinds of people we need in our lives: Those who tell us what we should be doing. Those who tell us how to do it. Those who tell us how well we are doing. We often usually end up designing a world where all three are the same person. Our parents. Our friends. Our bosses. Our own selves. That is sub-optimal, in my opinion. The first person should be you. No one else knows better than you about what you should be doing. The second person should be...
2 months ago • 2 min read