Take a Pause with Varun Duggirala

We love to hate on labels, as we should. And yet, we tend to label ourselves so many things – ‘lazy’ and ‘procrastinator’ being two common ones. But ask yourself if these are just habits you can change, or are they really innate characteristics that define who you are? In this episode, Varun explains why you may need a mindset reset on how you label yourself. It might actually give you more control over your own life’s outcomes.  You can Order Varun’s book “Everything is out of syllabus: An instruction manual for life & work “ at https://amzn.to/335QKow   Follow Varun across social media platforms @VarunDuggi https://www.instagram.com/varunduggi/  https://www.youtube.com/c/VarunDuggi https://twitter.com/varunduggi   And for a weekly download of mind musings and recommendations subscribe to his newsletter “Unschooled with Varun Duggirlala” at https://varunduggi.substack.com About the show “Take a pause with Varun Duggirala” ( previously “The Varun Duggi show”) is a thrice a week podcast that’s meant to enable its listeners to take a pause amidst the chaos of their daily lives to learn tools, embrace ideas and soak in concepts that will help them find motivation, build the right mindset and perform at their best. Varun also occasionally taps into the minds of truly interesting people to give listeners a learn from and use in their work, life  and everything in-between. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/take-a-pause-varun-duggi/message

Growing up, did your parents and teachers tell you to give it your all? Even as an adult, do you feel the pressure to perform at your 100% all the time? Maybe you don’t need to. Perhaps you could get a better outcome if you did a little less than 100%. In this episode Varun talks about why NBA star LeBron James believes in performing at 99%. Tune in to find out why he chooses to hold back that 1%. You can Order Varun’s book “Everything is out of syllabus: An instruction manual for life & work “ at https://amzn.to/335QKow   Follow Varun across social media platforms @VarunDuggi https://www.instagram.com/varunduggi/  https://www.youtube.com/c/VarunDuggi https://twitter.com/varunduggi   And for a weekly download of mind musings and recommendations subscribe to his newsletter “Unschooled with Varun Duggirlala” at https://varunduggi.substack.com About the show “Take a pause with Varun Duggirala” ( previously “The Varun Duggi       show”) is a thrice a week podcast that’s meant to enable its    listeners    to take a pause amidst the chaos of their daily lives to    learn tools,    embrace ideas and soak in concepts that will help them    find  motivation,   build the right mindset and perform at their  best.   Varun  also   occasionally taps into the minds of truly  interesting   people to  give   listeners a learn from and use in their  work, life  and everything in-between. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/take-a-pause-varun-duggi/message

Do you feel the need to overshare on social media out of the fear of being forgotten? Perhaps it would be helpful for you to learn about NOMO - the Necessity of Missing Out! In this episode, poet, performer and artist Megha Rao takes some time out of her digital detox for an insightful chat with Varun. She talks about the importance of being mindful & present while searching for internal validation, instead of chasing external validation. Megha shares how she protects herself from burnout, and builds a healthy mindset towards competition. Megha’s work has been featured on platforms such as Penguin Random House India, Firstpost and The Open Road Review. She’s been a part of the Spoken Fest and Thought Catalog. Her podcast “Poems to Calm Down to” trended at #1 on Spotify podcasts in India. Time Stamps (00:00 - 1:52) Introduction (2:05 - 3:06)  Megha Rao’s digital detox (3:07- 4:40) How to live in the present? (4:41 - 8:04) Present thinking vs positive thinking (8:05 - 9:24)  Activities that spark creative ideas (9.25 - 13:04) Importance of taking a pause in Megha Rao’s creative journey (13.05 - 18:00) How Megha Rao figured her voice as a creator? (18:24 - 18:54) Gaining wisdom (21:05 - 22:47) How Megha broke out as a poet (22:58 - 25:45) Not getting influenced by external voices (25:46 - 31:02)  The different drivers for writing, podcasting, and stage performances (31:03 - 33:55) Avoiding burnouts & dealing with FOMO (34:05 - 36:08) Dealing with competition (36:09 - 41:20) Dealing with the fear of judgement (41:21 - 43:14) How to hook people to your craft? (43:15 - 48:16) Who motivates Megha? (48:17 - 50:59) Who creates a legacy? Art v/s the artist (51:00 - 52:25) Megha Rao’s process Book list 1. How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy - By Jenny Odell. 2. Deep Work - Cal Newport You can Order Varun’s book “Everything is out of syllabus: An instruction manual for life & work “ at https://amzn.to/335QKow   Follow Varun across social media platforms @VarunDuggi https://www.instagram.com/varunduggi/  https://www.youtube.com/c/VarunDuggi https://twitter.com/varunduggi   And for a weekly download of mind musings and recommendations subscribe to his newsletter “Unschooled with Varun Duggirlala” at https://varunduggi.substack.com About the show “Take a pause with Varun Duggirala” ( previously “The Varun Duggi show”) is a thrice a week podcast that’s meant to enable its    listeners    to take a pause amidst the chaos of their daily lives to    learn tools,    embrace ideas and soak in concepts that will help them    find  motivation,   build the right mindset and perform at their  best.   Varun  also   occasionally taps into the minds of truly  interesting   people to  give   listeners a learn from and use in their  work, life  and everything in-between. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/take-a-pause-varun-duggi/message

How often do you let fear decide for you? Do you end up not trying something simply out of fear? But growth and evolution cannot happen without failure. Listen to this episode to help you change how you perceive failure. As someone who has grappled with this fear himself, Varun delves into an excerpt about the fear of failure from his book Everything Is Out of Syllabus.  You can Order Varun’s book “Everything is out of syllabus: An instruction manual for life & work “ at https://amzn.to/335QKow   Follow Varun across social media platforms @VarunDuggi https://www.instagram.com/varunduggi/  https://www.youtube.com/c/VarunDuggi https://twitter.com/varunduggi   And for a weekly download of mind musings and recommendations subscribe to his newsletter “Unschooled with Varun Duggirlala” at https://varunduggi.substack.com About the show “Take a pause with Varun Duggirala” ( previously “The Varun Duggi show”) is a thrice a week podcast that’s meant to enable its listeners to take a pause amidst the chaos of their daily lives to learn tools, embrace ideas and soak in concepts that will help them find  motivation, build the right mindset and perform at their  best. Varun  also   occasionally taps into the minds of truly interesting  people to give  listeners a learn from and use in their work, life  and everything in-between. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/take-a-pause-varun-duggi/message

Is brilliance an outcome of one mind or the coming together of many minds? In a world that champions the likes of Elon Musk and Steve Jobs, it’s hard not to want to emulate the kind of success they have enjoyed. Don’t we all want to be called a mad genius? But that’s a lot of pressure to place on our own shoulders. Instead, why not embrace the collective concept of a “scenius”? What’s that you ask? Listen to this episode to hear Varun’s take on this little known concept. You can Order Varun’s book “Everything is out of syllabus: An instruction manual for life & work “ at https://amzn.to/335QKow   Follow Varun across social media platforms @VarunDuggi https://www.instagram.com/varunduggi/  https://www.youtube.com/c/VarunDuggi https://twitter.com/varunduggi   And for a weekly download of mind musings and recommendations subscribe to his newsletter “Unschooled with Varun Duggirlala” at https://varunduggi.substack.com About the show “Take a pause with Varun Duggirala” ( previously “The Varun Duggi       show”) is a thrice a week podcast that’s meant to enable its    listeners    to take a pause amidst the chaos of their daily lives to    learn tools,    embrace ideas and soak in concepts that will help them    find  motivation,   build the right mindset and perform at their  best.   Varun  also   occasionally taps into the minds of truly  interesting   people to  give   listeners a learn from and use in their  work, life  and everything in-between. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/take-a-pause-varun-duggi/message

We’re constantly juggling the various spheres of our life – work, family, friends, health – trying to find a balance. Our inner juggler may not be a pro, resulting in us dropping the ball sometimes. Varun explains the 4 Burner Theory, which may not be a solution but may help you better understand how to bring balance.  You can Order Varun’s book “Everything is out of syllabus: An instruction manual for life & work “ at https://amzn.to/335QKow   Follow Varun across social media platforms @VarunDuggi https://www.instagram.com/varunduggi/  https://www.youtube.com/c/VarunDuggi https://twitter.com/varunduggi   And for a weekly download of mind musings and recommendations subscribe to his newsletter “Unschooled with Varun Duggirlala” at https://varunduggi.substack.com About the show “Take a pause with Varun Duggirala” ( previously “The Varun Duggi      show”) is a thrice a week podcast that’s meant to enable its   listeners    to take a pause amidst the chaos of their daily lives to   learn tools,    embrace ideas and soak in concepts that will help them   find  motivation,   build the right mindset and perform at their best.   Varun  also   occasionally taps into the minds of truly interesting   people to  give   listeners a learn from and use in their work, life  and everything in-between. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/take-a-pause-varun-duggi/message

Problems can appear at times like a whirlpool, surrounding you entirely and pulling you in deeper. The small, mundane ones to the bigger, life-altering ones; it’s easy to get sucked in and start seeing problems that don’t exist. Swim back to the surface, focus on the present and what’s in front of you. Varun talks about how he channels his overthinking into a more positive place. Sign up for Mari Andrew's newsletter - https://mariandrew.bulletin.com You can Order Varun’s book “Everything is out of syllabus: An instruction manual for life & work “ at https://amzn.to/335QKow   Follow Varun across social media platforms @VarunDuggi https://www.instagram.com/varunduggi/  https://www.youtube.com/c/VarunDuggi https://twitter.com/varunduggi   And for a weekly download of mind musings and recommendations subscribe to his newsletter “Unschooled with Varun Duggirlala” at https://varunduggi.substack.com About the show “Take a pause with Varun Duggirala” ( previously “The Varun Duggi     show”) is a thrice a week podcast that’s meant to enable its  listeners    to take a pause amidst the chaos of their daily lives to  learn tools,    embrace ideas and soak in concepts that will help them  find  motivation,   build the right mindset and perform at their best.  Varun  also   occasionally taps into the minds of truly interesting  people to  give   listeners a learn from and use in their work, life and everything in-between. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/take-a-pause-varun-duggi/message

Does it feel like the world is out to get you? Like fate is not benevolent in your specific case? In Stoicism, there is a concept called Amor Fati. Varun explains this concept and how it can be used to change your perspective about this unyielding, all-powerful fate.  You can Order Varun’s book “Everything is out of syllabus: An instruction manual for life & work “ at https://amzn.to/335QKow   Follow Varun across social media platforms @VarunDuggi https://www.instagram.com/varunduggi/  https://www.youtube.com/c/VarunDuggi https://twitter.com/varunduggi   And for a weekly download of mind musings and recommendations subscribe to his newsletter “Unschooled with Varun Duggirlala” at https://varunduggi.substack.com About the show “Take a pause with Varun Duggirala” ( previously “The Varun Duggi      show”) is a thrice a week podcast that’s meant to enable its   listeners    to take a pause amidst the chaos of their daily lives to   learn tools,    embrace ideas and soak in concepts that will help them   find  motivation,   build the right mindset and perform at their best.   Varun  also   occasionally taps into the minds of truly interesting   people to  give   listeners a learn from and use in their work, life  and everything in-between. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/take-a-pause-varun-duggi/message

In the first chat episode of Take a Pause, Varun is joined by entrepreneur, content creator, and author Ankur Warikoo on approaching creativity as a process, finding what works with an audience, and also finding what actually brings happiness. Ankur Warikoo is a public speaker, angel investor, and YouTuber. He’s also the author of Do Epic Shit and the founder of Nearbuy.  Time Stamps (00:00 - 01:53) - Intro (01:54 - 02:51) - Catching up with Ankur Warikoo (02:52 - 06:39) - What motivates Ankur Warikoo to create content? (06:40 - 10:40) - How to balance between sharing genuine content and what’s trending (10:41 - 14:57) - The best advice that Ankur Warikoo has received (14:58 - 19:46) - How to build trust with an audience (19:47 - 25:20) - Decision making and imagining the the worst-case scenario (25:21 - 28:24) - How to navigate difficult situations (28:25 - 31:25) - Dealing with imposter syndrome and negativity (31:26 - 35:20) - How Ankur Warikoo balances time (35:21 - 38:42) - Saying No to people (38:43 - 44:20) - How does Ankur Warikoo achieve peak performance (44:21 - 47:38) - Switching between multiple content formats (47:39 - 51:10) - Growing your passion (51:11 - 54:48) - On Parenting (54:49 - 57:40) - Thoughts when Ankur Warikoo takes a pause (57:41 - 58:17) - Outro Books discussed in the episode  A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy - William Braxton Irvine  Do Epic Shit - Ankur Warikoo Everything is out of syllabus - Varun Duggirala Meditations - Marcus Auerilus The Obstacle Is The Way, Ego Is The Enemy, Stillness Is The Key, The Courage Is Calling -  Ryan Holliday  Atomic Habits - James Clear  You can Order Varun’s book “Everything is out of syllabus: An instruction manual for life & work “ at https://amzn.to/335QKow  Follow Varun across social media platforms @VarunDuggi https://www.instagram.com/varunduggi/ https://www.youtube.com/c/VarunDuggi https://twitter.com/varunduggi  And for a weekly download of mind musings and recommendations subscribe to his newsletter “Unschooled with Varun Duggirlala” at https://varunduggi.substack.com  About the show “Take a pause with Varun Duggirala” ( previously “The Varun Duggi  show”) is a thrice a week podcast that’s meant to enable its  listeners  to take a pause amidst the chaos of their daily lives to  learn tools, embrace ideas and soak in concepts that will help them find  motivation, build the right mindset and perform at their best. Varun  also occasionally taps into the minds of truly interesting people to   give listeners a learn from and use in their work, life and everything  in-between. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/take-a-pause-varun-duggi/message

Every time you choose to learn something, are you only learning enough to hold conversations about it, or are you trying to understand the subject in depth? Surface-level knowledge is like standing on thin ice; it might break under pressure. Varun’s guilty of making this blunder too, tune in as he discusses how he’s making change.  You can Order Varun’s book “Everything is out of syllabus: An instruction manual for life & work “ at https://amzn.to/335QKow   Follow Varun across social media platforms @VarunDuggi https://www.instagram.com/varunduggi/  https://www.youtube.com/c/VarunDuggi https://twitter.com/varunduggi   And for a weekly download of mind musings and recommendations subscribe to his newsletter “Unschooled with Varun Duggirlala” at https://varunduggi.substack.com About the show “Take a pause with Varun Duggirala” ( previously “The Varun Duggi     show”) is a thrice a week podcast that’s meant to enable its  listeners    to take a pause amidst the chaos of their daily lives to  learn tools,    embrace ideas and soak in concepts that will help them  find  motivation,   build the right mindset and perform at their best.  Varun  also   occasionally taps into the minds of truly interesting  people to  give   listeners a learn from and use in their work, life and  everything  in-between. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/take-a-pause-varun-duggi/message