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warikoo Wanderings

How to take difficult decisions in life?

Published almost 2 years ago • 5 min read

warikoo Wanderings

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TOUGHT DECISIONS NEED ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION

Several years back, I got a call from a current student of ISB.
It was Day 1 of placements and the student was "struggling".
"I have an offer from McKinsey and Google. And I don't know what should I do! Gawd, this is so stressful!"
(I wish EVERYONE in the world had THIS stress in their lives)

"I don't have an answer for you. I have a question though. May I ask?"

I am sure in his head he was like, "Couldn't you just give me the answer and drop this Buddha persona for once?"
"Sure, what's the question?"

"What is the most important thing for you in life, right now?
Something so important, that you are willing to compromise on everything else?"

"Ummm - learning. I want to be learning right now in life. Very important!"

"Fair. Is learning so important that you are willing to work in a shitty company, with shitty pay, and a toxic culture, but you get to learn A LOT?"

"NO! That sounds awful."

"Then learning is not the most important thing you want in life right now. Think again."

"Ok ok. It is money."

"Fair. Is money so important that you are willing to work with an asshole boss, horrible work hours, you learn nothing, but it pays you A LOT?"

"No! That sounds awful"

"Then money is not the most important thing you want from life right now. Think again"

Unfortunately, the student had neither the time nor the inclination to go through this journey.
Ended up taking one of the two offers.
And then quitting within a year.

Here is the thing with us humans...
If we do not know what we truly want the most in life, at that point of time, the next best thing that we want is everything!
EVERYTHING!

And we end up selecting a choice that is closest to this everything.
BUT
The one thing that we truly want from life, is still left unattended.

We say we are not really happy.
When we haven't done anything to make ourselves happy.
We have just compromised and settled for the average.

Don't know what you truly want from this relationship, more than anything else?
You then want everything.
Love, security, friendship, good looks, funny, compatible, affectionate, fighter, emotional, gives space, understanding, affectionate.
And loves to cuddle...

Don't know what you truly want from this job, more than anything else?
You want everything.
Work-life balance, a great boss, learning, high pay, recognition, respect, brand, offsite, TT table, bean bags, smart colleagues.
And free lunch...

Don't what you truly want from life, right now?
You want everything.
Stability, excitement, growth, predictability, vacations, house, car, relationships, peace, fulfillment, sleep, great food.
And sharing a Netflix password...

"What is it that you want most from life right now?"

It is an easy question to ask, not a simple question to answer.
It is ridiculous how many of us have never asked ourselves this question. And thus have no inkling of what it could be.

When I have gone into deep discussions with people on this, they have been left mostly surprised at their own realizations:
"I realized the only thing I truly care about right now is to be close to my parents."
"I want to save my relationship. Nothing else is more important."
"My boss's approval is the most important thing for me right now."
"I am willing to do anything to get to my financial independence."
"I know it might change, but for now, I want fame."

And that is the beauty of this mental model.
It is not permanent.
What you want from life right now, WILL CHANGE.
And once it does, you will know what else you want, more than anything else.
And that awareness will dictate your direction.

People spend an insane amount of time trying to come up with the right decision.
There is no way to do that!
No one and nothing can tell you whether the choice you are making is right or wrong.
It is just probability.
And every opinion is colored with their own assessment of this probability.

In my opinion, the best probability for the "right decision" is when you do something that attends to your inner needs.
The core motive/idea/problem/thought that drives you currently.
Feed your soul with the one thing it craves for the most right now.

BOOK I AM READING THIS WEEK

I am still reading WILL by Will Smith. The book gets better and better. I love his life's story and still remain in awe of how wonderfully written the book is.

I have also been told that the audiobook is awesome, given it is narrated by Will Smith himself. I am not big into audiobooks, but I will surely give it a try.

My book DO EPIC SHIT has touched sales of 120,000+ and I would love for you to join the family :)
You can buy a copy of DO EPIC SHIT here.

QUOTES TO SHARE

You cannot explain life.
You can only experience it.
​(Share on Twitter)​

To understand the world: read.
To understand yourself: write.
​(Share on Twitter)​

Usually a good time to invest is when most people are scared of investing.
​(Share on Twitter)​

RESPONSES TO LAST WEEK'S QUESTION

Last week I asked you:

How much money, if you had right now, would be enough for you to never work for money?

  1. Less than 1Cr ($150K)
  2. Between 1-7.5Cr (between $150K-$1Mn)
  3. Between 7.5-15Cr (between $1-2Mn)
  4. Between 15Cr-75Cr (between $2-10mn)
  5. Above 75Cr (above $10Mn)

Here are the responses:

  • It's cute that almost 50% of those below 30 think they need more than 15Cr to never work for money. Even if you put the 15Cr in the worst growth instrument ever (FDs), they will generate an income of 45L per year or about 35L post-tax. Which, trust me, is more than enough for most people.
  • Notice how, as we grow older, the quantum also decreases. It could be because most big needs (house, education, etc.) have been fulfilled, or it could be because you realize you actually don't need a lot!
  • Those who opted for 75Cr+ - I am REALLY keen to know what is it that you are looking for in life.

I did check and most of them said "travelling"!!
Really?
You need 75Cr because you want to travel? :))

There was one cute response to 75Cr+
"Just to feel safe!"
Adorable :))

My response:
I need 21.7Cr, of which around 8Cr is to go to Mars.
If I remove that, in about 13Cr I can manage the rest of my life. Video coming up for that :)

PICTURE OF THE WEEK

DO EPIC SHIT is soon launching in 5 regional languages. Am so excited :))

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Which of these superpowers would you want?

  1. I can fly
  2. I can become invisible
  3. I can read minds
  4. I can become any size I want

​Click here to let me know your answer (anonymously)​​​​

CONTENT I SHARED THIS WEEK

Podcast:
Title of episode: How much money do you need?
Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcast, Apple Podcast, JioSaavn, Gaana or YouTube.

YouTube:
Title of video: Money talks with Ishan Sharma
You can watch it here.

Instagram:
3 life-changing 10-minute habits
You can watch it here.

Twitter:
Incredible lessons for your career
You can read it here.

You can, of course, always write to me by simply replying to this newsletter.

I love reading all your emails, even though I may not be able to reply to them all.
Yes! I READ ALL MY EMAILS. ALL OF THEM.
​​(Gaadi chalaate hue zor zor se gaana gaane ki kasam)

You can share this newsletter on WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn, or view it on the web.

warikoo Wanderings

by Ankur Warikoo

Entrepreneur, Author, Content Creator with 9M+ followers across platforms. I share this newsletter every Friday around personal growth, books, quotes, pictures - it is the most personal version of me online.

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