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
Love this, if you even want to visit Australia feel free to reach out. Alida x
Vishen! I LOVE this. We met virtually in November. I’m in AI Mastery. You were boarding a train but took my questions live as I showed you my vibe coding experiment (by the way – that’s now my favorite AI activity).
My company is Exponential Joy. You are living it! My mission is to rewire humanity for joy through practice, skills, experiences and upgrading our JoyOS, our operating systems for human flourishing. In our JoyOs Labs we help people experience joy again. I took a group of coaches to hike El Camino de Santiago in Northern Spain. We held a Joy hackathon in Silicon Valley. We are heading to Armenia later this year.
You are role modeling exactly what people need to see. A life designed with Joy, peace, and love at the center. THANK YOU!
Partner with me to spread this vision around the world!!
The value of embracing one’s curiosity, and engaging it fully and respectfully is so admirable. Seeing the impact and reach of this motivation through reading the comments section is thought provoking and beautiful to witness!
Inspiring others to think broader and bigger is raw and real!
As someone who values cultivating yin, inner peace and deep connection – my bigger interest value in this moment is on the integration process after these weeks of new experience.
Immersing oneself in new experiences for a week a month is dope. As someone who has experienced flamenco in wooden floors in basement cellars in Spain, with the sound and sweat of the dancers right next to me while fortunate enough to live in Spain…..as a practitioner and initiate of Vajrayana Buddhism and samadhi meditation practices; a lover of depth of experience and tasting the rich tapestry of life….. a conscientious gentle reminder that while much can be learned in a week of immersion, in reality, very little can be taught.
As you are likely much more aware of than myself, and likely have much more experience with, integration and reflection is an act of respect to culture and helps differentiate the vibe between – respecting the lineage, ancestors, culture and practitioners within the blessing of getting to “immerse” oneself in a week of “learning “ and – patting oneself on the back for identifying the intrinsic need to gain more depth of understanding around cultural practices we have been privileged to be inspired by.
Thank you for the opportunity to reflect on my own experience and nuance of appreciation. Thank you for the time of asking for and receiving feedback.
Much love for you being you. 💗
I think your goal of 100 lives is admirable. At 30, 40, and a shade past, I might have somewhat agreed that maybe it was possible.
But now at 70 I have got to tell you that I found the real people are harder to find in the big cities than they are in a rural setting.
If your search goes to where there is a tourist atmosphere then the “real” is quite often at least partially submerged in “what will sell” and that is not usually the real culture of that area. Not in Texas, Hawaii, Japan, Korea or anywhere else I have been fortunate enough to live. To search out those you want to learn from will take longer than a week. And to get close enough for them to trust you, that will vary. I have been blessed with the time io do what you seek. And given the patience to adapt and learn from locals along the way.
I wish you luck and the ability to see more that the “canned” view.
I also wish you the good fortune to be able to pass on at least some of what you get to see.
Good luck and God speed.
I admire your drive to live a hundred lives.
Perhaps we can only do that by trying on all the suits we’re curious about.
When I turned 50, something shifted.
I thought I wanted to live to 100—then realised that still wasn’t enough.
One day, I plan to become a sommelier when I retire.
A different chapter. A different texture of life.
That inner drive—to live fully—keeps us awake, curious, and endlessly inspired.
And yet, the deepest emotions are born from simplicity and quiet.
Noise only disturbs desire.
Happy Birthday, Vishen Lakhiani.
I ❤️ this idea! Very inspiring 👏. Happy birthday, peace a d richest blessings gs to you!
Speaking 100 lives, you write “teams of 20 have become teams of two or three” thanks to AI. That’s 17 people whose lives you could change if you hired them rather than turn their jobs over to AI.
Also re. living 100 lives, I leave you with a quote:
“We have two lives and the second one begins when you realize you only have one.”
-Mario de Andrade
This is awesome Vishen! and it definitely serves as inspiration for many of us. I already had the idea of traveling to different countries to experience the life as a local for 1-2 months, but, this adds a a much deeper meaning and enriches the experience… I look forward to learn from your experiences.
With all of my respect..
Answering your questions are not so simple as first sight, but inspiring for sure.
I recommend for You to learn Hungarian trough the the Hungarian folklore with Zina Bozzay at Hungarian Folk Singing Circle (“Népdalkör”) in Budapest.
Then come to Szeklerland, Transylvania, where you can learn our ancient folk dance, what is about revitalizing the body after the long and hard workdays on the mountains.
> After studying the Hungarian language for years, I can confidently conclude that had Hungarian been my mother tongue, it would have been more precious. Simply because through this extraordinary, ancient and powerful language it is possible to precisely describe the tiniest differences and the most secretive tremors of emotions.
> — George Bernard Shaw
This idea DEFINITELY resonates with me because I feel drawn to live elsewhere in the world. My teen is almost graduating high shool and I had this thought, I don’t HAVE to live here. I can finally live where it’s sunnier, my hair loves swimming in salt water, and my legs to love walk everywhere. Food is a love language, and I was born in a different timeline than the one I’m on currently. I dream of wandering my way back home.
Hey Vishen, HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY! Congratulations. I have been following you since the very early days of Mind Valley. I purchased the Silva Method over 20 years ago and I have watched your journey and I am mind blown by where you are now. You are phenomenal. ENJOY EVERY SECOND of your weekly immersions. You deserve this. You have made the world a much better place. You are phenomenal!!!!
Hello. Happy birthfay!
Yes You can experience 100 lifes, like an actor and I want to see pictures of every life You choose.
Sigo en español es más fácil para mí. Primera foto necesito verte con pantalones ajustados, camisa abierta y bailando flamenco. 24 or 48 horas viviendo como un bailador con show y todo.
Sugerencia: puedes filmarte y en otro comentario te muestro dos periodistas que hacen eso en mi país.
Felicidades!!! Ojalá pueda ver en una fiesta o universidad mindvalley
Happy Birthday 🥳
This brought up an interesting reflection for me,
My first thought would be to live with our Australian Aborigines to learn their trades not just survival, a week wouldn’t cut it though,
Then l would love to learn archeology, hmm.. a month wouldn’t be enough,
Then l thought what trades do the dessert tribes in Arabia have?
🤔all with the land..
What a brilliant view on life you have brought forward, enjoy your journey and kick starting others to take on new perspectives,
I would like to suggest taking a little moment at each of your destinations to re-celebrate your birthday/life gift to you ✨💖✨
Hi Vishen, and Happy Birthday. Thank you for how you have spent your first 50 years and for what you are planning for the next.
I just turned 60, it was a true revelation for me. I woke on my 60th birthday truly content. I don’t think I had ever felt that before. It has freed me to now explore what enhances my life and what calls to me. It’s not as ambitious as yours, but it is a lovely and privileged place to be. Deeply grateful for my choices that have brought me here. I am looking forward to the choices that I make that continue to make my life have deep and profound meaning.
Where emersion is concerned, I am currently scheduled to co-facilitate a tour to Hiroshima to discover and embrace the link between healthy mourning and profound peace. Another dream of mine is to immerse myself in Italian culture, learning the language and being with locals for an extended period of time, not just a week.
Many blessings to you on your journey and exploration.
Maria
Happy 50th, Vishen!
You have achieved a lot by 50, and are wiser than many 50 year old folks! I like your idea of living 100 lives in one life!
I wish you the best.
Love and light,
Satwant
A brilliant day, filled with friends, learning and fun–happy birthday, and may all those yet to come be filled with learning, growing, happiness and contentment. Your immersive experiences certainly resonate with many of us. For me one week would be too little, two to three weeks would be more appropriate for the deeper journeys, maybe one for the ones less so. They will all enrich our lives. Off the top of my head…I think I would love to do creative writing courses in Italy, France, etc. or learn from the very creative designers and artists who work with natural materials like bamboo in Bali, Kerala etc. to begin with. The Thessaloniki monks are sadly out of my reach, as a woman, but there might be similar convents and temples to explore. Living alongside the fisherfolk of island communities would be energizing. Another dream would be to go into space for a week, but the prelims would take more than a week for sure…but the perspectives one can only imagine now might be worth all the training required. Happy inner journeys!
When I retired I did reshape my life. I went from technology instructor to herbal medicine. I write books (and am struggling to get published) am working on becoming a Master Naturalist. I grow many of the medicinal herbs I use in making medicines. I stubbled onto your site because of MY quest to be a better ME.
I loved reading this Vishen, it’s very inspiring and Happy birthday to you. I’m just about to leave for Manila, Philippines for a week to submerse myself in several Pranic Healing courses -it was very spontaneous decided and booked. I want to travel more, visit Easter Island it’s always fascinated me, ride horses through a nature reserve in Porto and sleep under the stars, maybe Everest base camp if I can get fit enough, stay in an ashram in Vrindavan India, spend a month in Mallorca learning Spanish and swimming in the sea. Take an Italian cooking course in Tuscany I’d love to see you in London comedy show, when is it?
That’s such a great idea! Such a wonderful exploration…I wish it leads to experiences you never imagined and can’t wait for you to share how it goes…
please don’t miss the Macedonian tombs in Vergina (Alexander the Great birth place) and the Macedonian treasures of the national museum in Thessaloniki. I know this is not tourism but still you can only visit Thessaloniki once, not a tourist destination anyway.
As guessed already it is my home town…
What? My comment from 6 hours ago isn’t gonna be posted? Cause it seemed respectful and on topic to me, albeit problably too long-winded as is my usual MO. But, I guess much like what I’ve seen from our government and my time in the Air Force, we only distribute what feels good and hide what doesn’t, right? Like the comment I saw someone posted earlier about being glad Vishen was no longer obsessed with money has now been deleted. I guess too much honesty is not a good thing? Although Vishen was just speaking recently about how he importance of being true to your word. Okay, so obviously only the ones that are supportive or ego stroking? Whatever! I’m so over it! Enjoy your F’ing time flamenco dancing. 💃 🕺🏼
Doh! I guess you were posting them all. My bad. BTW, F’ing stands for ‘fascinating’ flamenco dancing lessons. 😬 And now, I’ve got to go eat something…like crow. 🤬
I love this! I would spend a week in each Blue Zone. I recently returned from Ikaria Greece. You have inspired me and I will look to mimic this in my own life. Good Luck on all your new 100 adventures! Love & Light, Aliki N.