In this episode of Woice With Warikoo, Ankur Warikoo shares his heartfelt reflections on a recent vacation he took solely with his parents. He discusses the joy of pampering his parents, the realization of limited time left for such trips, and the importance of accepting parents as they are. Ankur Warikoo emphasizes the need to spend quality time with parents and urges listeners to reach out to their own. Tune in every Thursday for new episodes covering various aspects of life including career, relationships, personal finance, success, and failure.
00:00 Introduction to Woice With Warikoo
00:29 A Special Vacation with My Parents
00:51 Realizations from the Trip
02:02 Cherishing Moments with Parents
02:37 Acceptance Over Change
03:12 Final Thoughts and Call to Action
[00:00:03] Hey everyone, this is Voice with Warikoo, my, or Ankur Warikoo. In this English podcast series, I cover a lot of things in this English podcast series. Career, relationships, personal finance, success, failure, and frankly, something else that comes to the time. Every week on Thursday, a new episode on your favorite podcast platform, Voice with Warikoo. Last week, I went on a vacation with my parents.
[00:00:32] And it was a very special one. Because this was the first time when just the three of us, my mom, my dad, and me, we went for a holiday. It didn't include anybody else. It didn't include my wife, my kids, it didn't include my sister or my brother-in-law. It was just the three of us. And the idea of it was frankly very exciting. And upon my return, the next day as I was meditating, I reflected on the four days that we spent together.
[00:00:59] And I asked myself if there was anything new that I figured, either about myself or about my parents. And here are the three things that hit me or dawned upon me. Number one, there's no amount of material success or social validation or professional growth or bank balance that can match up to the feeling of pampering your parents. Making them feel proud of who you have become.
[00:01:29] And that was just so evident. There were moments when people stopped me to ask for selfies or they were like excited to see me. And I could see the pride on their face. I could see the pride when people told me that my content helps them in some ways. I could see the pride when we experienced the comfort in which we traveled, the places we stayed at. Everything made them act like kids in a toy store.
[00:01:54] And I don't think there's anything that makes a child happier than to see their parents experience this joy. Number two, the number of such occasions with your parents is drastically reducing. When we were on vacation, we used to walk for like five, eight kilometers every day. And by the end of the day, both of them used to be super tired. They would just crash and both of them are already 70 plus.
[00:02:23] So it's a matter of a few years before such holidays will come to a stop. Yes, it will perhaps take the shape and form of some other holiday. But I really wish I'd started long ago. Number three, your parents have lived their lives and they are set in their ways. What they now need is not change. What they now need is acceptance.
[00:02:52] I have to admit, I do not agree with everything that my parents say or do. And for the longest time, I thought it was my duty to change their ways. But I was wrong. At this age, the best that I can do is to accept them. And that's a big, big realization. I think at the broad level, it just hit me that there isn't much time.
[00:03:18] So my request to you, call them, visit them, spend time with them, travel with them. Because at this point, they do not need your money. They need your time. All the best.