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In late Sep 2015, I started a personal initiative

“Lunch with Warikoo”

The company was growing faster than I anticipated. 

While I used to pride upon the fact that I knew the names of most people, not so much anymore

The initiative was driven by the insecurity of losing touch with my colleagues, than anything else. 

The initiative was to have lunch with a new person everyday. Across the country. 

And then to post about it on our employee Facebook group – much like “humans of New York” 

Yesterday I completed the 50th such lunch. 

18 of them in person. Rest on hangouts. 

I have had people cook for me

I have had people bring me gifts

I have had people cry in front of me

I have had people hug me

I have had people order food for me 

I have had people bring in their friends

I have had people write poetry for me

I have had people shower unconditional love, that I am largely undeserving of. 

And they have done all of this because I gave them my time. And they know it is the most precious thing I have. 

When you pick the most valuable thing in your life and are ready to share it, magic happens! 

What’s most precious to you? 

When are you sharing it? 

All of us have a weak spot. 

Something that we know is not right with us. 

And we cannot do much to change it. 

Lazy, unorganized, procrastination, sloppy, unaware, non-detailed – whatever it is 

Even if you can’t do much to change it, you can do a lot to change the world around you. 

For the physically lazy, does the world around offer everything in an arm’s distance 

For the mentally lazy, does the world around offer work at the dim of the day

For the unorganized, does the world around include you in every email chain

There are two ways of dealing with your weak spot 

Work on it 

Or create a world around that doesn’t fuel it

Find your weak spot 

And then fight it, using the world and not your own self. 

When people say, hire people smarter than you, they mean people who fill in the weak spots you have. 

Unless you are relentlessly open and honest in your communication, every single day, things fall apart. 

100% of failures and problems can be traced back to poor communication at some level

Humans, by design, crave for security and comfort. And we call it different things 

Structure 

Predictability 

Familiarity 

Logic

Dec 31st is the biggest structure created by mankind. 

Nothing changes that day or the day after. 

The sun doesn’t reset. Nor does the clock. 

Climate doesn’t change. Nor do the people around us. 

What changes though are emotions 

Every single individual out there resets their emotions on dec 31st. 

Reflect on the year gone by. Predict the year to come. Make promises. Correct the mistakes from the past. Plan ahead. 

The 365 day structure makes us operate psychologically in a powerful way. Nothing else drives humans across the world in such a concentrated fashion. 

And I think

If the 365 day structure was man made. So can be the 1 day structure that I make. 

Resetting my emotions at the end of everyday. 

Reflect on the day gone by. Predict the day to come. Make promises. Correct the mistakes from the past. Plan ahead. 

Everyday is a Dec 31st

It’s your choice to have 1 of them in a year

Or 365! 

I work with super smart people everyday. Individuals more driven and way smarter than I can ever be. 

But there is a common thread when I see how they work

They love solving. 

Anything! And everything! 

That comes their way

Being in constant solution mode will make anyone look and seem powerful. 

There is a situation – let me solve it 

The product is broken here – let me solve it 

Sales are not happening this month – let me solve it 

This guy is not performing – let me solve it 

I haven’t slept for 48 hours – let me solve it

But solving situations isn’t ever helpful. That doesn’t ensure the problem will not come back. It is tactical. It is short term. 

And some problems aren’t even problems, the way they are described. They are mostly reactions. 

Hence, ask yourself what is it that you are truly solving for? 

Is it worth your time

And your smartness

Don’t become a victim of your own smartness

Don’t solve all the time 

  
The journey has been nothing short of fascinating. I wouldn’t trade this for anything else in my life. 

Humbled. 

Excited. 

Scared. 

If someone sends a thank you note, out of the blue, to you or your team or someone else

There are 2 options you have
1. This guy seems genuine. He believes in thanking people and in comforting them. And maybe that’s what I need to do to him, because this is his worldview
2. Nonsense. Sending this note to earn brownie points. Fraud!

It is not hard to realize which of the two paths above has a higher chance of success
Suddenly, it doesn’t matter which of the two options are true!

Views on my Quora responses crossed 2Mn this Saturday – that’s a lot of people! 

My followers on Quora are touching 20,000 – adding me to the list of the Top 100 followed people in the world 

My TEDx talks on YouTube have now garnered over 200,000 views

I get fanmail. People even call me an online celebrity! 

You know what’s the truth about celebrities? It’s easy to become one. 

It is easy to garner respect from a distance. 

To say the right things in a considered manner 

To be immaculate and trained in front of a crowd 

It is easy to be liked, when people don’t know who you really are. 

What is hard – is to be respected when people get to know you. When they know your faults. And how you react to situations. And how you treat others. And how you treat yourself. 

Known respect is always greater than unknown respect 

And way more valuable 

Reminder about all our present lives 

• We are not in the best relationship we could have been in. There are better 
• We are not in the best paying job we could have been in. There are better 
• We are not driving the best car in the world. There are better 
• We do not work with the best manager. There are better
• We do not live in the best country. There are better 
• We do not have the best life. It could be better

Whatever is it that you do and whosoever is it that you are, there is something better

In that case, why are you afraid to change things around you? Why don’t you speak up? Why don’t you challenge the status quo. Why don’t you question the wrong? 

What is it that you fear? 

That feeling of security. That is a farce. You  have created it. The world hasn’t granted it to you.