profile

warikoo Wanderings

The third wave is teaching us something

Published about 2 years ago • 4 min read

warikoo Wanderings

You can share this newsletter on WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn or view it on the web.
My first book "DO EPIC SHIT" is currently #1 in India. And is being loved by those who have never read, or rarely read. Have you picked up a copy yet?

DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO SURVIVE


The third wave is upon us. This time spreading even faster than the deadly second wave. Affecting even those who have been vaccinated.

As the number of cases rise across the world, I thought of how this is yet another fierce reminder of how we have all shaped up.

Back when we were cave men and women, we were constantly surrounded by danger.
Weather.
Wild animals.
Our own tribe members.

And if we were flippant about these dangers, you know the happy-go-lucky who do not assess any risk in their minds, then there was a high chance we would just die.
Get caught in bad weather because we ventured out when we shouldn't have.
Tried to tame animals who hunted us.
Not being watchful of who our potential enemies were and the harm they could cause.

So, who survived?
The ones who carefully thought of the danger.
Whose minds were constantly making them aware of the danger that might lie ahead, and guard them against that.

So over years, millions of years, the minds who did a good job of making their masters aware of danger, won the game of evolution.
With every passing generation, that mind which was better at predicting danger, won and the mind that did a poor job, slowly began to vanish.

It is not a surprise then, that today our mind is hardwired to think of the bad rather than the good.
We are constantly worrying, at the drop of a hat, because that is how our mind had been trained to, and survived all these years.

I am not an expert and all that I share here, is from the lens of a layman trying to make sense of how the world functions.

So when I applied my amateur thought to how the virus is shaping up, it seemed to make sense.

The virus realized that if the person dies, the virus dies with it.
So in order to survive, it had to mutate.
And it did.
And made itself milder.

This way, it continues to survive.
And spread.

Because that is what its purpose is.
To spread.
To survive.
And it will do ANYTHING possible to do so.

I love such focus.
You are so driven by just one macro goal, that all micro becomes irrelevant.
The minors don't bother. It is the major that is critical.

Imagine, how would our life be, if we lived it like a virus?
With the clear intent to just survive.
No matter who tries to stop us and how, we are just hell bent on surviving. On continuing to grow. To spread ourselves.

Reminds me of this video that always gives me goosebumps.

BOOK I AM READING THIS WEEK


This week I read:
Speeches that Made History: Over 100 of the most influential speeches ever made

Something about history has always fascinated me. And this book compiling over 100 of the most powerful speeches given was a breathtaking and awe-inspiring journey. A quick read - from a pages perspective. But a fascinating read if one were to devour the power and gravity of the words in each of these speeches.

A must read, if you love powerful thoughts translated into powerful words.

QUOTES TO SHARE


There is someone out there who values you. Starting with your own self.
(Share on Twitter)

You say:
"I want to do whatever I want to do."
"I want to live life the way I want to."
But then you desire what others get out of their life, by living life differently.
(Share on Twitter)

Success we all get to see. Stories we rarely get to hear.
The lesson is in the story. Not the success.
(Share on Twitter)

RESPONSES TO LAST WEEK'S QUESTION


Last week I asked you:

How do you think 2022 is going to be for you?

  1. Better than 2021
  2. Worse than 2021
  3. Same as 2021

And you know what - here is what I predicted:
Almost everyone will say "Better than 2021". And you know why/ Because we all live and thrive on hope.

That is the reason humankind has survived. While individually we all give up and lose hope, collectively we all hope for a better tomorrow, a better future, a better outcome.

And you all proved that.

For the first time ever, one poll choice got 97.3% votes - 2022 WILL BE BETTER THAN 2021!
2% felt it would be the same. And less than 1% of you felt it will be worse.

Tell you what - we don't know what it will be.
But I love the fact that we are hopeful :)

And that's such a great start to the year :))

PICTURE OF THE WEEK


I have grown up reading Hindustan Times. Till date that is the newspaper I read every morning. It has been a part of me for 30+ years.
So it was surreal to see myself on the cover of its Sunday magazine.

Felt like a dream :)

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION


What do you in the last hour, before going to sleep at night?

  1. Read/Write/Listen to music
  2. Pray/Meditate
  3. Speak to friends/family
  4. On social media
  5. Surfing the internet
  6. Other

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

CONTENT I SHARED THIS WEEK


Podcast:
Title of episode: My Life is Over
Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcast, Apple Podcast, JioSaavn or Gaana.

YouTube:
Title of video: Investing in your 20s
You can watch it here.

Instagram:
Title of video: 3 hacks to build confidence
You can watch 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.
​​(imma make 2022 the best year ever 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.

Read more from warikoo Wanderings

There are 3 kinds of vacations 1) Where you do things in excess that you have done back at home as well. Party, sleep, chill, dance, eat. I call them escapes. Not vacations.They are escapes from your current life. Most vacations lie in this category. 2) Where you do things that you could have ONLY done where you have gone. Sightseeing, top restaurants, top experiences. These vacations are memories. They are not a blur. They are a moment. Something you will remember and cherish for a while....

about 4 hours ago • 4 min read

There are 3 kinds of vacations 1) Where you do things in excess that you have done back at home as well. Party, sleep, chill, dance, eat. I call them escapes. Not vacations.They are escapes from your current life. Most vacations lie in this category. 2) Where you do things that you could have ONLY done where you have gone. Sightseeing, top restaurants, top experiences. These vacations are memories. They are not a blur. They are a moment. Something you will remember and cherish for a while....

about 24 hours ago • 3 min read

3 things I learnt from Sahil Bloom Last week, I hosted Sahil Bloom on his first-ever visit to Delhi. We started with a breakfast information catchup with founders and creators.In the evening, we had a large gathering at the Bharat Mandapam with 1,000+ people.As I spent time with him, I observed 3 things about Sahil that stuck. Walk the talkSahil is one of the most disciplined people I have met. He shares a lot of wisdom through social media — either through Twitter, Instagram, his newsletter,...

8 days ago • 5 min read
Share this post