Do Epic Shit by Ankur Warikoo

Posted On January 29, 2022

Hi Readers! So sorry for being away for so long! Those of you who follow me on Instagram are well aware that I had disappeared without any blog post because I was reading the longest book I have ever read – Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84! It was 1318 pages long & it took me 14 days to read.  I am still thinking about it, so the review of that one has to wait.

While I was reading this book, I was simultaneously reading a nonfiction self-help book. (Breaking my old reading habits, yes!) I read Ankur Warikoo’s ‘Do Epic Shit’. This review is going to be short because when it’s nonfiction, everything is already laid down for the readers. It’s pretty straightforward, so I am only going to tell you what I thought of the book.

~~INTRODUCTION~~

Being a corporate millennial, I am always on LinkedIn on weekdays. And, through LinkedIn, I first found out about Ankur Warikoo. The kind of thoughts & videos he posted were really compelling. Especially when you are stuck in your Monday Blues & you read something motivational, then that’s got to stick, right? So, when I found out that he had written a book, I knew I had to read it.

~~SIX PARTS~~

When I started the book, I loved reading through the first 3 parts, especially the habits & awareness chapters. The next two parts about entrepreneurship & money were only okay. And, the last part about relationships felt unnecessary. Granted, both the chapters of Entrepreneurship & Money were the shortest of the lot, but they somehow felt forced. I get why Ankur added them here. He has learnt the greatest life lessons because of these chapters. So, to showcase them here as a part of his journey makes sense, but to the readers, it may feel a bit standoffish. From my viewpoint, I thought that mixing these two areas of personal & professional was a but disconnected to read.

~~THOUGHTS~~

My problem with Self-Help Books is that I don’t get to learn anything new. I already know everything that’s written & it’s my choice whether to follow it or not. In worst cases, the text is written in such a way that it feels like the author is standing in front of me yelling at me to sleep on time, wake up early, not eat junk food, value this & that! So, when I started this book, I was utterly pleased by reading the Introduction, which went like this:

“This book may very well turn out to be the most useless book you will ever buy. Because nothing in this book is something you don’t know of.” Now this I can get on with. This was the perfect way to start the book & in my mind I knew immediately that I would like it.

Yes, some parts of the books were useless, I will agree. But, most parts of the books were quite thought-provoking. Most of the things are something we know, but the way he organises the words to have an impact is something brilliant.

I liked how he talks about how our actions are more important than our thoughts.

I liked how he mentions that just because you are good at something, doesn’t mean that thing makes you happy.

I liked how he mentions how we control our happiness, which is why it should not depend on external things.

I liked how he tells us to read the books we want to read & not the ones we should.

I liked how he values & conveys the importance of a sleep schedule.

I liked how he has written about why it is vital to stay calm.

I liked how he decoded the simplest logic behind procrastination. (It was true in my case.)

I liked how he rewires our brain into telling us why we usually don’t prioritise.

~~QUOTES~~

“We know others through their actions. We know ourselves through our thoughts.”

“Make sure decisions in your life are made from a point of view of awareness and not ignorance.”

“If you are scared of losing you have already lost!”

“Feeling upset with someone? Why not talk? Feeling upset with yourself? Why not talk to yourself?”

“Run away from those who are trying to run away from themselves.”

If you are a person who can relate to these things, then you should read Do Epic Shit. The writing, though simple, has a lasting impact. Like Ankur has mentioned that he has merely taken his basic thoughts & organised them in a better way so that it is applicable to the world at large. I found that to be true in all the pages of the book. The book should have had either more topics on the lines of psychology like in the first 3 chapters, or it should have been a longer book with 2 parts. First one for psychology, and the other one for entrepreneurship, money & so on. I have rated Ankur Warikoo’s ‘Do Epic Shit’ at 3.5/5 stars!

Until next time,