Each of us has a different definition of what success is. Just as there are no set criteria to measure an ideal life, there is no single definition of success. Many people who rise to fame and professional success believe in taking risks and have the courage to make unconventional choices. But, it’s not like he hasn’t had his fair share of failures. An example of this is entrepreneur, content creator and public speaker Ankur Warikoo. Living life on her own terms was not easy, but with faith and family support, she achieved her goals.
Recently, he opened up about his life journey in Humans of Bombay. Mr. Wariku was born in a middle-class family. However, he always aimed high and dreamed big. When he was 11, he wanted to become a space scientist and set foot on Mars. He studied, worked hard and got a full scholarship for PhD program in America. Her parents were happy and she too thought that life was about to change for the better. However, he decided to leave his PhD program.
Mr. Warikoo said, “I did well in college, but I was not happy. Everything felt robotic. I was confused because things were working ‘as planned’, but when I was back for my summer vacation came, I realized that I had missed being at home.”
He thought of leaving the house and coming back home. Everyone around him told him that this would be the worst decision of his life. But he stuck to his word and, with the belief that he would be able to do something, he returned home “leaving my dreams and my degree behind”. Due to which his parents broke up.
While he was in America, his father quit his job to start something that was not working. So, the family was now in debt. “I took the first job at a corporate training firm – it paid me 15k! It was more than I expected. It also set the course for the rest of my life,” he said.
Mr. Wariku then did his MBA and worked as a consultant for three years “only to leave it to the startup world”. “It was a bold move, especially since I was at the peak of my career and my young age was only 3,” he said.
But he got full support of his wife. “I worked in two startups before being nearbuy. I gave 4 years to Nearbuy, and after seeing all kinds of ups and downs, I quit as CEO as soon as the company broke up.
He then took a three-month break, which was when the “world went into a lockdown” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr Wariku, who was 39 at the time, “was unemployed with two children and was looking at just 5 months’ savings in the bank”.
He and his wife then chalked out a worst-case scenario – “if nothing happens, we will sell our house and move to the mountains”.
Although he had the support of his family, he knew that he had a lot of responsibility towards them as well. Hence, the question “what next” haunted him and he decided to use the knowledge he had acquired over the years and get involved in content creation.
He did not create content with any set goal. He did it because he enjoyed it. Soon, he went from being extremely busy as a CEO to someone who had time to be with family. “I’ve even written a book! Who would have thought that, right?” He says.
Now, at 41, he feels that his life is the way he wants it to be. “I have control over it. I spend time doing things for myself—writing, meditating, investing and reading,” he says, adding that he is also working on a start-up again.
Mr. Wariku says that he has run a lot in life, and now he wants to work according to his clock. “If you were to ask me the question, ‘Where do you see yourself five years from now?’ My answer is I don’t know. And that’s fine by me,” he signs off.
Here is his post:
At the time of writing this post has been liked by more than 2,900 people. There were many comments on this post as well.
One user, Filamin Philippe, said it was an “inspirational life story”.
Another user Junaid Younis felt it was a beautiful lesson for all, and added, “We deserve to be free human beings and we should let our destiny be decided by God.”
A third user Mithali Singh said, “Life is not a goal and in the end you will not be judged by how much you have achieved, but by how much you have lived.”
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