Embracing Imperfection on the Path to Work-Life Bliss

Imagine facing the Herculean task of juggling a career in medicine and real estate entrepreneurship while nurturing the growth of your family with unwavering dedication. Dr. Pranay Parikh, the embodiment of such a challenge, graces our podcast with his strategies for achieving harmony between his professional ambitions and the bliss of fatherhood. In a heartfelt discussion, Dr. Parikh unveils the powerful influence of his father's entrepreneurial legacy and delves into his own philosophy on intentional living. He speaks to the art of savoring those irreplaceable family moments, embracing the beauty of imperfection as a parent, and making those tough sacrifices for the ultimate work-life balance. His narrative serves not just as an insight into the high-wire act of balancing life's demands but as a beacon of inspiration for parents everywhere striving for presence and purpose.

As we segue into the importance of communication and support in relationships, the conversation takes a tender turn, sharing personal anecdotes and hard-earned wisdom. He revisit a cherished lesson from his father, one that shaped his understanding of the ideals we aspire to embody for our children. Addressing the silent contemplations of many physicians, he  extends a guiding hand to those contemplating a shift from full-time to part-time medicine, underscoring the everyday quest to become better as parents. The narrative culminates with a poignant query for the next guest, and indeed, for all listening: What defines a successful childhood, and how do we as parents contribute to that vision? Join us as we traverse the emotional landscape of fatherhood, career, and the delicate dance in between.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

I think the shaping episode is just learning, because when you grow up, your dad is really like the person you look up to. Right. The quote I've heard is try to live up to the person your kids think you are, and that's something that I always remind myself, and it's important to remember that you're imperfect. I was actually walking just a few minutes ago. My hand hit my son's face because he was falling over. I mean picked him up and said hey, I'm really sorry. And then he said and apologized.

Speaker 2: 0:34

Mm-hmm Right.

Speaker 1: 0:36

And telling them like hey, I'm not perfect, I'm fine. I think anytime you really sit down and be like, hey, this is a I'm a real person like make mistakes.

Speaker 2: 0:47

Right yeah.

Speaker 1: 0:50

I think the shaping episode really is like hey sat me down with like hey, here's how you do this. I thought he was. He used to shave with a single. Oh yeah, that is so good, Right yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:03

Yeah, very confident, awesome, awesome. How old is your son, my friend?

Speaker 3: 1:10

Welcome to dad puzzles Everything, dad. If you're questioning yourself about dad functions, duties and life in general, you've come to the right place. Parenthood can be tough. Being to juggle caring for your baby with your career and also keeping things fresh with your partner can be a struggle, but we're here to make things easier with helpful tips for making the most of your situation. Being a dad may seem like a puzzle, but it's one you can definitely solve. Now here's your host, dr Suleiman Ejani.

Speaker 2: 1:54

Welcome to dad puzzles podcast. Get ready to have your ambition and fatherhood puzzle pieces expertly rearranged by our guests today, dr Prani Parikh. He is not just a physician and entrepreneur, he's the dad who is going to teach us how to hustle while changing diapers. Now let's dive in, my friend. Welcome, sir. Hey, thanks for having me. Yes sir, yes sir, can you tell us a little bit about yourself, sir?

Speaker 1: 2:21

Yeah, so I'm a hospice internal medicine trained. I work in Los Angeles. I actually work nights and I have a lot of things going on. I started a private equity fund. We own about $310 million worth of real estate, I do some coaching, online courses, and I also have two kids under a two and a half.

Speaker 2: 2:44

Oh, that's amazing, my friend. That's amazing. And so, reflecting on your experiences are growing up, how is your relationship with your father influenced your approach towards the fatherhood, my friend?

Speaker 1: 2:55

Yeah, I think a lot of our lives are reflections or echoes of our parents, and my dad was very entrepreneurial. He at one point owned a limo, a bunch of condos, his training is electrical engineering and right now he's retired and runs an ice cream store. So he's been all over the place. So in that he was a great example. He came from nothing in India and, to really give us a good middle-class life, he was working all the time, so I never really saw him very much, and so while I was growing up and because of all the work he did and the opportunities that he gave me, I decided that I'd try to be a different type of dad, one that was home often and really was able to witness and watch and help my kids grow up.

Speaker 2: 3:45

Oh, that's amazing, my friend. Was there a moment that led you to think that way, or like what made you think that way, my friend?

Speaker 1: 3:54

I think just a culmination right. I had to really teach myself all the basics. I had to teach myself how to talk to girls, how to socialize and really a lot of the stuff that either parent, but a lot of times it's the dad. I do remember my dad teaching me to shave one day, and that was one of the rare times that something like that happened.

Speaker 2: 4:16

Okay, amazing, that's amazing what you're doing, and so what are the key habits that led you to this happiness or fulfillment that you're feeling at the moment with your career?

Speaker 1: 4:28

I think it's really trying to do life with intention. This is something that is a daily challenge.

Speaker 1: 4:34

Every day, I have to remind myself why I am doing things, and it's so easy to rush through things of life that like bath time or feeding stuff, that you're rushing to do a phone call, a zoom call, but that is really the part of having children that it's meant to be enjoyed, it's meant to be savored. A lot of times we're rushing through that because we have everything else and I actually just met my brother's girlfriend's dad and he was like, yeah, you're gonna blink your eye and your kids are gonna be 16 or older soon. So really try to enjoy these everyday occurrences right, or even annoying occurrences right, like one of these days is gonna be the last time you change a diaper.

Speaker 1: 5:20

Not that changing diaper is the greatest thing but right. Right, it's part of the enjoyment I remember the day, my son stopped wanting to sleep on my chest when he was an infant.

Speaker 3: 5:32

I was like already he was only three months old he's prepared for that to happen.

Speaker 1: 5:38

It's all the same right, Crawling, walking, potty training, all this stuff. It goes by a lot quicker than you think.

Speaker 2: 5:45

Absolutely, my friend. As the story goes, normally we struggle with having all these haste that we have to wear from working like your ambitions, you like the family life. So how do you get that, my friend?

Speaker 1: 5:58

I think you have to realize what you're going to sacrifice. There has to be sacrifice right, Because we all have the same 24 hours in a day and you just literally can't do anything.

Speaker 1: 6:10

You do anything, but you can't do everything. I think anyone that's telling you otherwise is lying or they're trying to sell you something. So the way is to pick and choose what you are not going to do. You can't be like I'm not going to smoke, I'm not going to drink, right? Yeah, that's obvious, but it's what things do you enjoy doing that you're not going to do? For me, it was sports. I don't watch sports and it puts me at odds to a lot of the other dudes and dads out there. But to get everything that I want to get done and to spend time with my kids, I just had to sacrifice sports. And I used to watch sports, but I wasn't hardcore like some of these other people.

Speaker 2: 6:50

So for other people.

Speaker 1: 6:51

That would be a non-starter, right. But I do play video games, right, and I like playing video games, so that's something that I didn't want to sacrifice, or you just got to figure out what is something that you like to do, but it's not one of your top three priorities that you're going to sacrifice. I save 10 to 20 hours a week by not watching any sports. You watch two football games, right. That's almost 10 hours, right, and especially if you do fantasy, football and basketball and all this other stuff. For me, that was it. I could probably spend a couple of hours playing video games a week, but that's time for me, my self-care, that I enjoy. So you just got to figure out what is it that you enjoy that you're going to sacrifice to make time for the things you really like to do.

Speaker 2: 7:32

OK, so I guess that is definitely how to. That is really a good blueprint that that can use to prioritize what's necessary and also what they can cut off. That's beautiful. So your investment firm, the Acid Equity Group, is uniquely built for physicians. Can you share that a little bit? How can that see that? How do you see the real estate affecting dads? Just in general?

Speaker 1: 7:59

So real estate, it's a black box and it could be what you want it to be. So I've seen people who buy a couple of condos, couple of houses and have been able to retire in a couple of years, but it really becomes a second job, While others they use it as an investment vehicle and they get 8 to 12% a year. But that's money that you can actually live your life with because you're not paying taxes on that until the property sold and if you own it for 30 years, really you're not really paying much taxes at all on that money. So it's not life changing money, but that's money that you can start building up and eventually switch to part-time, like I have.

Speaker 1: 8:40

And that's where I really try to help people in a system to go from full-time to part-time, because I find that most doctors don't necessarily want to quit because they didn't spend 20 years, 25 years, to get into medicine that went right away, going from five shifts a week to three right or two, or if you do shift work like me, maybe going down from 14 to 8 to 10, like I work then it just gives you so much more free time to do what you want To spend time with your spouse, to spend time with your kids, to go on vacations, to do the things that my dad wasn't able to do at the time.

Speaker 2: 9:17

Okay, so can you share a little bit of insights how your firm helps to simplify that investment process?

Speaker 1: 9:28

Yeah. So the way our firm works is we really will find investments for people and give them, you know, vetted run the deal and give people cash flow that they can use to change their lives anywhere. Our most recent deal is 12% a year, which is a little out of the norm, but usually anywhere from 5% to 8%, right? So if on $100,000 investment you're making $5,000 to $8,000 per year and then you make a bulk of your money at the end so that after five years you're about doubling your, the first deal isn't going to make you rich. After you start getting some of these deals and take the money that you doubled, you invested again and that starts becoming pretty significant after a couple of years.

Speaker 2: 10:11

Oh, that's beautiful. The idea of passive investing is very attractive, so what benefits does this bring to the fatherhood journey?

Speaker 1: 10:19

I think having something that's generating new income and doesn't take much extra work is very beneficial. But just remember, nothing is free, right. So you do have to do upfront finding the good deal, vetting the people, talking to the person running the deal. So it does take a little bit of upfront work, but it's miniscule compared to actually running your own properties and we all know how good real estate does and it's part of a well-balanced portfolio. So you should have stocks, you should have some bonds and you should definitely have some real estate and that way you're really creating wealth for you, your family and you're able to step away from medicine or you're not behooved to taking all these extra shifts that pay extra, but on weekends you can give away your holiday shifts or the 24-hour shifts that pay more, because you don't necessarily need them.

Speaker 2: 11:14

Oh, that's beautiful, and so you do have this effective living formula Can you share with us? How can the guys that are trying to align their life goals with, and their role as parents, how can that help them? My friend?

Speaker 1: 11:26

So created a course called effective living formula, and it's really a way for people to figure out what they want, why they want it, and to build the systems to get it, because a lot of times we let imposter syndrome, we let procrastination get in the way and you just pass a whole year realizing you haven't gotten anywhere closer to your goals. It's a five-week course and I support people to get through it, with a ton of doctors that have gone through it and really changed their lives. So it's a way for people, because not everyone has the time or ability to work with me personally, and this is a way for them to work through the program of things that have taken me many years to learn.

Speaker 2: 12:09

Oh, that's amazing. And so you do have the podcast from MD to entrepreneur, which is a valuable resource for physicians and anybody that is trying to improve their time management and business skills as well. Can you share a little bit about that? And, as dads, how can we learn from that?

Speaker 1: 12:27

So I think you have to have something outside of medicine and it doesn't have to be entrepreneurship. But entrepreneurship to me is just doing something outside your main job. For example, I used to do a bunch of videos and educational content for my hospitalist group and I got a promotion because of that. So it's more of an entrepreneur instead of an entrepreneur. But I think the more money and resources that you have coming from outside your main job gives you so much more flexibility because even if you're making $200, $300, $400 an hour, you're really stuck to that job. And if the administration makes unreasonable demands which we know they do all the time you have to follow through because you really need that paycheck. But if you're having money coming from elsewhere, it really gives you more power, because unfortunately, as physicians these days, a lot of the powers in the hospitals and the administrations and less so to us other than the people who have private practice, but very few people that actually do that these days.

Speaker 2: 13:40

Okay, my friend, like one of the questions that I've heard from the prior guests, are she a two of them? One of them was the lady. She wanted to know how can the women help us as dads, to become dads, because sometimes we can be very introvert, we don't share much what's going on or what's bothering us. So what can mothers, or our lives, do to make it better?

Speaker 1: 14:05

I think trying to figure out the best way for the other person communicates, because we always communicate in the way we like to communicate and we assume the world communicates in the same way. So if you have someone that maybe they're not so vocal in how they feel, maybe they're able to do it or communicate in a different way. Right, We've all seen the book the Five Languages of Love and obviously love is a lot more complicated than that.

Speaker 1: 14:34

But I think in general, archetypes, right, it makes a lot of sense. So also really figure out how does the other person communicates? Maybe it's nonverbal right, maybe they change their demeanor or change how they talk or their tone.

Speaker 1: 14:49

So just trying to figure that out. It takes a couple extra steps, but it is hard when just really figuring out, like you know, how are you doing? Because I think a lot of men in general don't really talk and toughen up and just say hey, instead of saying hey, I had a bad day. They won't do it. So really just asking and really trying to get big bill of the same.

Speaker 2: 15:12

Okay, awesome, and my friend. Another one was what's your favorite, like a fondest memory of your dad? I noticed that you have shared how like that experience with the shaving, how he taught you to do that. Is there anything else that really stays out between you and your dad?

Speaker 1: 15:28

I think the shaving episode is just learning, because when you grow up, your dad is really like the person you look up to, and the quote I've heard is try to live up to the person your kids think you are, and that's something that I always remind myself, and it's important to remember that you're imperfect. I was actually walking just a few minutes ago, I don't know. My hand hit my son's face because he was falling over. I mean picked him up and said hey.

Speaker 1: 15:59

I'm really sorry. And then he said and apologized and telling them like, hey, I'm not perfect. I think anytime you really sit down and be like, hey, this is a, I'm a real person like mistakes.

Speaker 2: 16:15

And yeah.

Speaker 1: 16:17

I think the shaving episode really is like hey, sat me down with like hey, here's how you do this, and I thought he was. He used to shave with a single. That is so cool, awesome.

Speaker 2: 16:35

How old is your son, my friend?

Speaker 1: 16:37

So I have a two and a half year old and a one year old. Oh, that's nice, nice.

Speaker 2: 16:44

I have a 21, and then I have all the way down to five, and then almost four soon, and then the last one of man is. It's already exactly two years now. So that is beautiful. Yeah, is that how they copy you? Everything they follow your footsteps to the T is really beautiful, yeah, yes, sir. So, my friend, is there anything you would like to like share to dad or people in general to know about your, your ventures and how they can support you or follow you for advice or joining you?

Speaker 1: 17:17

Yeah, if anyone is interested in trying to switch from full time medicine to part time and you want my help, feel free to reach out to me. My email is info I N F O at from MDcom.

Speaker 2: 17:34

So F? R.

Speaker 1: 17:35

O, m, m, dcom, and I would just tell people to remember that every day is a new day, right? If you make any mistakes, remember that you these are your kids. You can always make better, do better and try better Not perfect right, but remember that people that are the most worried about being bad parents are probably the ones that are the best parents. Don't kill yourself over any mistake you make. I'm sure you're doing an amazing job.

Speaker 2: 18:01

Oh, that's a good reminder, my friend. And also, do you have any questions to the next guest that said that, in terms of the fatherhood, oh, that's a great question.

Speaker 1: 18:09

Let me think for a second. What would a successful childhood look for you? What are the aspects and part of the journey that you'd like to see in your child as they grow up and you look back and be like, hey, that was a pretty good childhood and I helped be part of that. Oh, that's amazing.

Speaker 2: 18:33

Thank you so much for doing this. So, as we wrap up on this insightful conversation, so we are reminded of the importance of balancing the ambition, work and family. So really, thank you so much for sharing your wisdom to like with our listeners, and I like how, like in your podcast actually something that I'm going to emulate to speak, I think you're speaking really well and and people will enjoy listening to you and the wisdom and the knowledge that you're passing to them. So thank you so much for for like coming to our podcast today, my friend.

Speaker 1: 19:07

Thank you so much, I appreciate it.

Speaker 2: 19:09

Thank you, thank you. So go ahead and log in dad puzzlescom. You'll be able to find all the other. The other social media is there. Please give us a follow so we can update you with more information and also sign up for the newsletter so we can be sharing with you some new updates and good knowledge about fatherhood. Thank you again.

Speaker 3: 19:57

Yeah.