In Conversation with Dipanshu Rawal

Today, I am interviewing Dipanshu Rawal on this blog, a guy who I have been following for quite some time.

From following him on Quora to Instagram to this Interview, I had been always fascinated by the way he writes. I am a big fan of his book A Stoic’s Diary and you will always find me recommending it to every random guy.

This is the start of an interview series about people who think they have a purpose to inspire others to do what they really want to do and Dipanshu Rawal is one of them.

Dipanshu is a versatile personality who is a purpose and clarity coach, an influencer on Quora, a digital marketer and a blogger. He is one of the most genuine guys I have seen, he always tries to over-deliver when it comes to giving value.

Well, why I say that?

Don’t ask me, just check out the books he has written, he is giving books for free which teaches you things worth more than thousands of dollars.

Check out his book: A Stoic’s Diary and Spark a Fire do check out this book it is free but you will learn a lot of things worthwhile incorporating in your daily life.

 “Burn Them Down” which teaches you the art of forgiveness.

Arjun: Dipanshu Rawal made me his fan through his 5-day email course “Re-discover yourself” and after reading his book “Burn Them Down” I have become his superfan.

I am really thankful to Dipanshu for taking out his time and interviewing with us.

Interview with Dipanshu Rawal

Something Personal with Dipanshu Rawal

Arjun: Many people know you as an author, a guy who writes about self-improvement,  a purpose and clarity coach. For you, how will you define Dipanshu Rawal? 

Dipanshu:  Dipanshu Rawal is an experimenter. He likes to learn and try stuff, that’s why he writes. That’s why he reads. And that’s why he does everything he does.

His experimentations with different things have brought drastic changes in his life. When he turned himself into being a vegan (from a hardcore non-vegetarian) he has observed kindness and compassion being cultivated inside of him.

Arjun: Dipanshu, please share your journey from a guy who himself was completely clueless to the one who is now guiding people.

Dipanshu: Some people are really lucky who know what they want to do in life. But there are only a handful of such people. Trust me, I can’t say I’m not clueless right now… but I have a lot of stuff I know I won’t be doing in life. Being aware of who you are, why do you do some stuff the way you do it – it’s the biggest step forward from being clueless.

Dipanshu Rawal on Books and Self-Improvement

Arjun: Some insights into your book “Burn Them Down” and why people should read it?

Dipanshu: I have been to a place where it was so hard for me to move on from my toxic past. I have seen my friends stuck in the same place as well. Maybe some terrible childhood experience, maybe a soul-sucking relationship, or maybe even a non-supportive friend – let’s address the issue here – IT IS HARD TO MOVE ON. 

It’s hard, but it’s not impossible. 

Forgiveness is one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of moving on. 

“Burn them down” is a real-life case study of how a person can move on from a tragic past by practising forgiveness on a daily basis.

Arjun: Books make reader leaders, people successful. What are some of the books you think people must definitely read to get better in life and please pick your personal favourite?

Dipanshu:

1. Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday 
2. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
3. Mind Full to Mindful by Om Swami

Arjun: One book you will never suggest to anyone and why?

Dipanshu: I won’t do that. Everyone has their own life experiences, and you never know which book might inspire someone.

Arjun: Do you gift books to your friends because I have seen people who read books gift books to their near and dear ones too. If yes, what are some books you gift to people?

Dipanshu: I love gifting books and mostly without any reason. A few books I have gifted the most to people –

1. How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie

2. The subtle art of not giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

3. Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday

Recently my favourite book to gift others is The universe has your back by Gabrielle Bernstein

 Arjun: What made you a fan of self-improvement?

Dipanshu: James Altucher. This guy changed me. His books and articles – they pulled me in this “Self-help” domain. All credits to him.

Arjun: What are some of your favourite quotes

Dipanshu: I’ll tell you my top 3 –

If I don’t invest in myself, who else will?

Remember you are gonna die. Let that determine what you do and say and think.

Attachment is the root cause of all evil.

Dipanshu Rawal on habits, values, challenges and success

Arjun: Habits are the things that make or break people, what are some key habits you follow and suggest people follow?

Dipanshu: Reading is absolutely a good habit to sustain. I keep books near my pillow, so whenever I am about sleep at night, I pick it up and read a few pages. Been doing this for a year or so now, and it’s damn effective. 

Arjun: What do you think is that one core value in you that has brought to you where you are today?

Dipanshu: Honesty and the will to follow curiosity

Arjun: What are the challenges you faced in your journey to where you are?

Dipanshu: You’d often feel alone. Left out. Because you can’t do what everyone else is doing. It’d give you the results everyone else is getting. And you don’t want that. 

Not everyone is on the journey of growth. But you will be. So you will have to start enjoying your company – feeling okay with being left out. Because eventually, you will be leagues ahead of your peers.

Arjun: Success is different for everyone, what does it mean to you?

Dipanshu: For me, it means making a constructive difference in someone else’s life.

Arjun: How does it feel like to try and contribute to changing people’s lives?

Dipanshu:  It feels amazing, to have a purpose in life. Lack of purpose can push anyone to depression and hopelessness. I have been there, so I know.

I grew up being a selfish and self-centred person, but when I saw that helping others become happy makes me even happier, everything changed. And it felt like “service” is the ultimate way to achieve happiness and contentment in life.

Arjun: I want to add something here from my side, a quote from Gandhiji,

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others

It seems a lot familiar to what you are doing.

Dipanshu on learnings, advice and tips

Arjun:  If you could advise your younger self, what advice would you give?

Dipanshu:  You are exactly where you are supposed to be. So, relax and enjoy and keep moving.

Arjun: What do you think has been your best investment till date not necessarily in terms of money, but maybe in terms of time and energy which you think have yielded something which you love or admire or be proud about?

Dipanshu: I invest so much of time, energy, and even money so regularly, that I can’t choose the best one among them. But I can tell you – 1. Buying books 2. Hiring my own life coach – these two have been the most fruitful investments of my life.

Arjun: What are somethings you are really good at and only a few people know about it?

Dipanshu: Starting something from zero, digesting failures, and looking at things differently.

Arjun: Share one experience when someone messaged you something wonderful about what you do and you were on top of the world

Dipanshu: Used to happen a lot when I was starting out. I could easily start feeling egoistic and flying in the air. The more time I spent in writing and service, the more I realised I am not the one who’s doing all of this, there’s something far stronger and supreme who is in control of all this.

Arjun: As a teenager, you yourself were clueless about what to do. Can you give a tip to the teenagers of this social media era on what exactly they need to know?

Dipanshu: As a teenager, we are taught to do whatever our parents, teachers, and everyone else ask us to do. We don’t get a chance to know who we truly are. 

Our life changes when we confront ourselves – for the things we keep doing that we weren’t supposed to do in the first place. So, take a moment. Breathe in. Breathe out. Meditate for a while. And try finding your own self first.

Arjun: Where can people reach out to you?

Dipanshu: I’m available at – [email protected] 

Or you can drop a DM at – instagram.com/dipanshu.rawal

Link to Dipanshu’s book- “Burn Them Down”

Link to Dipanshu’s website 

Readers, please let me in the comments section on how you liked the interview.

Check out another interview Rohit Kashyap- Founder and CEO of Maytree School of Entrepreneurship.

Also, read my post on how to appreciate others

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