I’m in Spain this week.
I’m celebrating my birthday with a small group of close friends. And for my birthday experience, I took them to see a flamenco show.
Not the flashy, tourist kind.
The real thing.
Low light. Raw guitar. A small room where you can see every line on the dancers’ faces.
And that’s what struck me first.
Their faces.
They weren’t just performing steps.
They were telling stories—of heartbreak, resilience, pride, longing.
You could see entire lifetimes etched into their expressions.
These were people who had lived.
And something inside me paused.
I caught myself thinking:
Their lives must be fascinating.
What would it be like to live a life like that?
Then a playful thought followed.
If I wanted to understand that life…
Why wouldn’t I just learn flamenco?
Not casually.
Not “once a week after work” learning.
Flamenco in London, squeezed between meetings and emails, would be like learning to surf in a bathtub.
So I asked a different question.
What if I did it properly?
What if I moved to southern Spain for a week?
Took daily flamenco classes.
Immersed myself in the culture.
Late dinners.
Struggled through Spanish.
.
Lived—briefly—a different life.
And that’s when something clicked.
I realized I’ve started thinking about life differently.
Over the last few years, AI and leverage have quietly changed everything for me.
What used to take 50 hours now takes one. Teams of 20 have become teams of two or three.
As a result, I’m building multiple new companies alongside Mindvalley with tiny teams, massive leverage, and far more freedom than I ever imagined possible.
But here’s the unexpected side effect of optimization:
It gave me time.
And time, I’m realizing, isn’t meant to be endlessly reinvested into more work.
It’s meant to be lived.
So I decided to test a radical idea.
I’ve committed to taking one full week off every month to deeply immerse myself in a different life—learning something new in the place where it truly belongs.
Some examples of what’s coming:
I’m considering spending a week living with monks in a Greek Orthodox monastery near Thessaloniki. No phone. No electronics. Waking at 5 a.m.
Working the land. Eating simple meals. Praying. Meditating. Napping in the afternoon. Cooking together. Sleeping as the sun sets.
Silence.
Simplicity.
Presence.
I briefly thought about moving to Paris to learn bartending… and then realized that probably wasn’t the direction my nervous system or my liver wanted to go.
So instead, I’ll spend a week in Paris learning French cooking, the way it was meant to be learned.
Each immersion follows two simple rules:
Rule #1: Meet locals.
Not wealthy. Not influential. Not “network-worthy.” Just locals. The baker. The bartender. The monk. Ordinary people living ordinary lives—because their stories are often the most eye-opening.
Rule #2: Learn the skill where it was born.
Flamenco in Spain. French cuisine in Paris. Orthodoxy in Greece.
No shortcuts. No simulations.
This curiosity isn’t just intellectual; it’s physical too.
As much as I love my current training, I’m now exploring entirely new relationships with my body. Pilates. Yoga. Aikido. Ways of moving I would never have touched before.
My goal is simple and slightly absurd:
I want to be in better shape at 60 than I was at 21, when I was 19 and representing Malaysia in the U.S. Open for Taekwondo.
And then there’s the biggest shift of all, now that I’m turning 50.
I’ve decided to stop chasing money.
If my company reaches a billion-dollar valuation, great.
Nice milestone.
But it’s no longer a requirement.
My goal now is this: Live 100 lives before I die.
I will be a flamenco dancer.
A monk.
A Bedouin.
A French cook.
Maybe even a barista.
Each for a week.
100 weeks.
100 lives.
This is worth more to me than a billion dollars in net worth.
I start today.
I’ve officially signed up for a week-long stand-up comedy immersion in London.
And yes, you’ll be seeing me perform in comedy clubs soon.
I’ll be sharing these experiences as I go, what I learn, what breaks me open, what surprises me.
And I’d love to hear from you too.
If you could live a different life for one week every month…
What would you study?
Where would you go?
Who would you want to live alongside?
Share them in the comments. I read them. They shape what comes next.
Thank you for being part of this journey, and this chapter of my life.
Here’s to living many lives.
P.S. If this idea of living many lives resonates with you, you’ll enjoy what’s coming next.
On January 18, we’re bringing together Social Media Summit Highlights:
This is a LIVE curated selection of the top-rated sessions from our recent summit.
You will learn how to build visibility, leverage, and impact in the modern world from Brendan Kane, Prince EA, Marie Forleo, and me.
Now, if you’re curious how ideas turn into movements on social media (and how people design lives with more freedom once they have an authoritative personal brand), I’d love for you to join us there.
407 Responses
I can recommend my friends Organic farm retreat on the back side of Maui for a week working a farm and soaking in Hawaiian culture. They have such innovative ways of farming and using resources.
And recommend French Balfolk dance. You can learn simple dances in a week and live and learn in a small village. The folk dances are the rage in Europe.
As I sit quietly on my bed trying to combat the next onslaught of migraine, I envision a time when I will be able to immerse myself into a journey similar to yours. It’s so remarkable that you are able to live your life the way you want to. You are truly blessed.
I would love to learn Spanish or Italian in Barcelona or Rome.
I’d like to learn to play the guitar or other musical instruments.
I’d like to learn Salsa or Merengue in Dominica.
I would to share these experiences with kind, passionate people who love life.
These are a few of the many lives I would want to live.
For now, I will live vicariously through you.
Hi Vishen,
I applaud your intention. I am 76 years old and joke with my friends that I retired at 20 and finally had to go back to work at age 58. I moved from the US to Europe at age 20 to become a professional yachtsman, drove double decker buses in England for several years, built a golf course in California and parlayed that into working on the development of others in Turkey, Spain and England, created a gourmet food company and became something of an expert on caviar and escargot, had a catering company and wedding planning business in Napa Valley’s wine country, spent almost 10 years in New Zealand, 3 months a year, developing property and importing NZ wine to the US, bought, renovated and sold a half dozen homes, grew pinot noir grapes and made my own wine, sailed with my wife on our own 44′ sailboat down the Caribbean island chain from the Virgin Islands to Venezuela for most of a year and finally had to settle down to becoming a General Contractor in 2007.
Bottom line, it’s all about the people you engage with. There is little I would change. And at this age I understand that my need is to reflect on those whom I would have treated better and make an effort at amends.
That said, I’m looking forward to retiring “again” and seeking out new adventures.
Trace
This is my dream – one day I will have the ability to make this happen. I love that you now have that ability and are making it happen for yourself. I wish you the best, most insightful experiences.
This feels like a beautiful vison Vishen. I am really excited for you. I’m curious how love and intimacy will play into this for you. In these 100 lives, how deeply do you want to interact with others (not referring to the silent monk experience)? You could engage in these experiences from the surface layers or the depth of you. Knowing some of what you’ve created, I would imagine you’d want the latter. I’d love to spend a week with you to explore how you could be even more fulfilled and inspired in your love life! If you’re interested in exploring, let me know.
Wishing you a very memorable happy 50th milestone birthday, Vishen!😍❤️🎂
May you enjoy the next 50 years with good health, happiness, fulfillment with your family and friends and of course the next 8 years and 4 weeks living 100 lives per week…a truly magical thing to do!😍❤️🙏
My brother Raj is so very similar to you in looks, age and life skills..he too is celebrating his 50th birthday this January 17th in style by hiring a villa in Colombia with a 5 day celebration themed birthday party for 50 friends and family!😍
Live as a mountain shelf farmer in the fjords of Norway!
Thank you for not talking about/chasing the billion dollar goals anymore and using it for a measurement for success. But rather of how many people can I influence/inspire in a positive/earth-friendly way. With this, you are becoming more of an inspiration to me! Happy Birthday Vishen 🙂
Hi Vishen,
As I read your soul’s journey today, I am glad to bless you with the most unique and contented breaths you live now and forever! Happy Vishen Day!
Your writing
Rings
A String
Becoz these couple days bring
Me what you sing.
I’m living it just as you say.
A few days out of my Tanzania Life
In Geneva, reaching out to the guitarist on the square.
Her chords sang the same song that binds us humans together!
Did not have any cents to put in her plate, but shared a tomato I had just bought.
She said she was just happy to have the conversation. What a reward it is!
Writing my life’s play with languages and strangers that help when I stumble, made my day today worth living!
I am living one day at a time right now and not running.
A big relief!
Asante (Kiswahili) for Mindvalley!
Kind regards
Happy Birthday, Vishen! Wishing you the best for your 50th year and beyond. This sounds amazing! If you decide to create an experience and bring some of your MindValley friends, I am sure many of us would sign up.
I love this Vishen! Thank you for sharing, so inspiring and real. Kudos to you and hat off – these memories will stay with you. I climbed Kilimanjaro last summer with my son which took a week off the grid and that week was one of the most memorable in my life. Enjoy! I can’t wait to hear from you. Sending you big hug.
First of all, happy birthday, Vishen! 50 is a great age!
Good decision what you wrote about your plans for your new life. When you started the AI approach 2-3 years ago I thought you were going to lose yourself as you were pushing so hard telling us “if you don’t learn AI, and if you don’t belong to the top guys in working with AI you will lose everything…” (I don’t remember the exact words), this was when I thought “OK, I’m out of the game”, but no problem for me, as I will be 70 soon.
I am not the typical pensioner, I am still working every day. I have a small business and a house with a big garden. My husband is a happy pensioner, enjoying his time being free, taking care of the garden, the chickens, the cat and me (he cooks very well!), and if you want to explore THIS kind of peaceful, unexcited life, too, I invite you to spending a week with us. We have a tiny but cute guest room, and we like to have interesting guests. If you want to learn a bit about boring country life in the North of Germany, feel free to come some time in the summer, when everything is green.
Best regards, Heike
PS: If anybody else who reads this wants to try Vishen’s new life style, the invitation applies to you, too!
First of all, Happy Birthday! When I read about your inspiring decision, I remembered my own experience of watching Flamenco in Barcelona. I was so amazed, and eventually the dancers invited me to the stage for a trial:) After that trip to Spain, I made some life-changing decisions, such as learning Spanish (having an ex-boyfriend from Cuba), earning an MBA degree at the age of 36, moving to another country (Germany), and learning another language (German), and so on…I have been writing short stories since childhood, and hearing the stories of others is always interesting for me. Therefore, I am reading each of your emails with excitement. Thank you for sharing your journey and your wisdom with us here in Mindvalley!
Love your plan, your reasons & that you are happy to share your time & days with real people living real lives! What a fabulous 50th year plan 👌happy birthday 🎈
I’d study anything Ayervedic in Kerala and go back and climb le Torres Del Paine in Patagonia. We see things through wiser eyes after 50!
✨
Happy birthday Vishen!! Thank you for your brilliance, generosity of spirit, fearlessness and lovely presence in all you do and share. Your words and actions are always inspiring and deeply appreciated. Wishing you the very best that this year can bring as venture forth into your many lives!
Happy birthday Vishen and I really love this concept of life!! I would suggest A week in the Borneo jungle with Iban tribe in their rumah panjang, or learn Tai-chi in Wudang mountain.
Great idea, great opportunity you’re creating for yourself. It’s not only doable in a way that fits your schedule, it also maximises a great number of different experiences over the 10 years you’ve allowed. Learning new skills also keeps your brain alive and luckily for you, you can document it for others to also experience it. Pick some things that are free of technology, skills you can use when technology fails or you’re stranded on a desert island. Enjoy every minute. Remember, adversity IS the experience. ❤️
Love it! Seize the day.
My challenge/pushback–what can you give in exchange while you are immersed in other peoples’ worlds? You have so much knowledge, confidence, spirit, humor. Can you share some of yourself with the people you meet, maybe through some informal individual coaching for those who are interested? Touch their lives as they touch yours?
I was fortunate to live a few lives before I “settled down.” I was a black jack dealer. A prep and line cook. A tripper, taking kids out on canoe trips. I managed an Indi rock band. And apprenticed with master drummer Kwasi Dunyo from Ghana, also performing in his West African drumming and dance troop. I’m pretty sure Kwasi still leads trips to study drumming in his home village in the Volta region in Ghana. Curtis Andrews (Vancouver BC) may lead trips to Ghana as well.
Other ideas to add to your list: Glass blowing in Ireland, painting in Italy, see if an Indigenous community in Canada will let you hang with them to study any number of things–totem making, beading, making canoes, healing circles. If and when god-willing the regime in Iran gets overthrown you could study carpet making. Visit a Buddhist monastery in Japan or study the art of Bonsai. Or go to Japan and learn from anti-nuclear activists (https://anneliseriles.substack.com/p/nuclear-weapons-course-nagasaki-summer-2026). Scuba diving in Australia or Sharm El-Sheikh. That’s all I got. Have fun!
It should become a show!
I don’t know if this is a mid-life crisis 🤣 but lately, I’ve similar pattern.
Learning bachata dance, applying to speak at Stanford conference, launching new programs, visiting the European Parliament to learn about the energy transition…
On the surface, they seem like completely different worlds.
But at the core, they all come from the same source:
what gives me energy, curiosity and a sense of aliveness.
Trusting that we’re allowed to live the life we imagine is deeply liberating.
And often, that trust is exactly what turns dreams into reality.
Happy living.