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
Happy 50th Vishen!! What an amazing experience to give yourself. I’m sure there will be so many insights and aha moments that will lead you to your next big (or little) thing. Looking forward to reading all about it.
One suggestion…you have manifested such an original life that has allowed you to take part in your next big adventure. What if every once in a while you took someone with you to also take in and soak up that experience? What a way to give back to the people who have really supported and love your vision of Mindvalley.
Good luck to you…✈️
Vishen, happy 50th — and thank you for sharing this! There is something genuinely beautiful and alive in the way you describe presence, embodiment, and learning through lived experience rather than abstraction. The image of flamenco as something that must be lived where it was born resonated deeply.
And yet, I noticed myself holding a quiet tension while reading — one that brings me back to your opening observation about the dancers’ faces, with entire lifetimes etched into their expressions. Those lines are shaped not just by intensity, but by years of repetition, struggle, monotony, and long-term commitment to a single craft.
That made me wonder: can a week-long immersion truly offer a “life,” or is it closer to a high-fidelity snapshot? In a world where AI and leverage allow us to experience more, faster, I find myself questioning how we preserve the kind of depth that only seems to emerge once things get difficult — slow, unglamorous, and sustained.
Perhaps that tension is part of the point — an invitation to loosen fixed identities rather than replace them.
Still, I’m curious how you think about integration: what stays with you after the week ends, and how these lives meaningfully change the one you return to?
Looking forward to following where this experiment leads — and can’t wait to see you perform stand-up comedy in London!
That’s a great inspiration. I used to live in 17 big cities across the world. And this totally resonates with me.
Because when you pack and move, you will have to deal with a new lifestyle, you must adapt and absorb the culture, and learn from it. It’s totally exciting and mind-opening. One notices how much there is to learn.
See things with a fresh set of eyes, get surprised, and spice-up one’s life.
I think this way, you don’t have to move to a new country and still have some stability.
Nice Vishen, good on you.
Keep us posted to see what you’re up to next.
Life is short, so lets explore and start humbly and learn from other masters.
What a wonderful and inspiring journey you’ll have. I look forward to following along.
Hey. Love the idea, but flamenco in one week? I think you will love each week but you may be exhausted and these weeks will blur. For me it would be a month somewhere 3 times per year. Have fun!
It’s true what they say, there is power in numbers. I am turning 50 in July this year too. And reading about how you have chosen to celebrate your milestone year is truly inspiring. I don’t know why for the first time in my life I am struggling to wrap my brain around the idea of 50. Maybe it’s the big life questions I am asking myself. But reading your blog lifted some of the weight off instantly. I love that you are being playful & having fun with it. Experimental. I am not as adventurous but even doing ten of those experiences per year sounds amazing. I am halfway through your Be Extraordinary Course & really appreciated the idea of the 3MIQ. Thank you for that & for sharing your 50th experience.
So inspiring and thank you! I turned 50 last year – and I already identified at least 25 lives 😉 I am German, living in in Argentina for almost 20 years now, leading an environmental NGO and I am so happy that I can “allow my self” to live at least 75 lives more, incluiding my spiritual lives.
The live I live right now was never on my life plan – I just followed my intuition – so I am looking forward to what is coming up now next.
For a moment, I thought you were moving to Sevilla (my city). I hope to see you here someday 🙂
I have had a similar idea from years ago and am only getting ready to act on it now. I am planning 1 month mini lives though rather than 1 week. One week is too short for me because I want deeper immersion and it can sometimes take me a little while to adapt 😉 I also want to have the freedom to spend longer if I choose. I can’t wait to hear about all your new adventures!
Vishen,
Love the concept. I am currently doing an aspect of living 100 lives before I die.
Life coaching through the Sacred Art of Horsemanship-The set apart practice of self study, self discovery, self mastery with a horse as an accountability partner.
I have lived many lives already, interacting with different horses, different locations. Meeting horses in their divine frequency, in the mountains of Colorado, deserts of California, rainforests of North Carolina, beaches of Texas.
Now, my goal is to travel globally.
I’ve traveled to U.S. Virgin Islands, swam with horses I had never met in the Caribbean Sea.
The experience is sensational, to travel, create a relationship with another living being, ask them to reveal secrets nature hides for us to find.
The adventure, the discovery, the alignments, the ascension! It’s truly inaccessible to the unknowing multitude of people.
There is a process, procedure, a system, to fully understand in order to tap into the true essence of living multiple lives.
It cannot be forced, or taken. It is given, only if willing to receive. That’s how it’s guarded.
Only a few will ever experience what you have rediscovered my friend, so fully expect the next step to reveal…
Happy Birthday, Vishen.
I only discovered your work last September while exploring alignment and consciousness, and your explanations gave language to things I already felt but hadn’t fully articulated. You are an answer to my outreach for peers, and teachers. For all that you are, and do I am greatful.
Since you’re collecting skills around the world, I’ll offer two ideas. One practical, one playful. The playful one first: Benjamin Button it. I just turned 51 and decided to go to 49 instead. My kids tell me I can’t do it. It only makes me more determined to get younger as I’m ment to get older. Same theory your desire to be better at 60 than at 30, added approach.
The practical suggestion: try being a ranch hand or cowboy, or even a forest ranger. Feeding horses, riding out, working with land and animals, preserving something real. There is a reason so many movies have been made about it. It’s alignment without theory.
Wishing you an adventurous, curiosity-filled year ahead.
Heather
P.S Go ahead and embody 50, but next year start your regression 😉
Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and experiences. You always speak from your heart and this matters so much these days to find pure honesty. I love reading your posts and feel so inspired. The best thing hubby and I did was sell our property, buy a caravan and travel around Australia. We have been on the road full time for 8 years. Recently we purchased another home in Country Queensland as a base. In May 2026 we will be back Travelling around Australia, meeting people, exploring this amazing country I love so much. This year my gift to myself is to write my first book. Another tick off my bucket list.
Keep on keeping on!
Cheers Psychic Traveller
Thanks for inspiring us, Vishen. Hope you’ll fulfil the whole list.
Here is my list for 2026:
1, Intensive cuban salsa course in Europe (surprisingly, there are amazing courses even here) and more latin dancing this year
2. Vipasana for 5 days (whole time non-speaking) – will be a huge step for me for so long
3. 1-week super cool spiritual festival in the woods with tents called ‘Wake up’ – it is organised and conducted in Bulgaria, in the mountains. If you are curious to try something different and be fully connected to the nature (we usually are bare-foot), connect with me for more info.
4. 1-week in intensive past life (regression) therapy course – Advanced level. I definitely want to expand my therapy knowledge and use the full capabilities of the Universe.
5. Want to try 3-4 days of “no talking” bonding with my soulmate – this one was recommended to me by one amazing lady in Bali and I have a full list of bonding activities.
This is so inspiring! So many emotions have caught up with me while reading your thoughts, now actions. Maybe in one of this lives I get to meet 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
One week is not long enough to understand with any depth. Give yourself a month or two or three. Isn’t Mindvalley about going beyond…
Happy birthday Vishen! Half a century of wisdom, experience, and accomplishments—here’s to many more great years ahead!” Your vision, wisdom and contributions is a constant source of inspiration to All. You’ve made this world a better place to live. Wishing you a lot happiness, Excellent health and continued success in years to come! GOD BLESS!
Wonderful post Vishen!
You are welcome to immerse yourself in my world… I invite you.
I am the Co-Founder of an independent funeral business based in Melbourne, Australia called Tomorrow Funerals. One of our taglines is ‘Funerals Done Differently.’ http://Www.Tomorrowfunerals.Com.Au
I am passionate about supporting & caring for our clients as they experience the loss of the person they love. Death is taboo in our culture and this makes it all the more important work – from facing the ultimate loss of life to designing modern rituals & ceremony.
Being up close with death certainly reminds me daily, of the simple joy and gift of life.
I’ve learnt my soul and I were supposed to die in 2019 of terminal illness. My personal and spiritual awareness journey saved my life. I’m alive and just planned 30 years desires. Writing the worlds’ first interactive movie to empower women is not made, but it helped save my life. My new book almost finished…and I’m back, I’m alive, ready to travel the world, teach again and will add experiences like you’ve mentioned to my desire book, to include on my ‘to-do’ list. Thank You
I am 53 and I started that very life when i was 24, after my university in Rome, where I was born and raised. I got a job in tourism and lived in many Countries, being a paid professional in something that i did well and traveled in other so many Countries while doing it since I was in sales for hotels (rates and handling accounts like Expedia or other Tour oeperators, groups sales etc all over the world). I lived in Tanzania, Spain in several regions, Balearic Is, Canary Is, Mexico, Dom Republic and traveled to Japan, China, south America, European Countries. I thought that my job started for a coincidence or by chance, but I think life leads you where you need to be and, above all, where your soul is ready to be; not everybody could live home, emigrates, or do one week experience every month. and that ‘s ok, since it can be draining. Exploring, living your security behind and your habits can be unsettling. After so many years and so many lives, where I did take flamenco in Spain and took acting classes in New York where I live now, and many other adventures in between, I am still the same person that wants to go in depth in human experience every time. The only thing that changes with age is that after so many exploration, you get a little tired of not being ‘bored on the sofa” as anyone else and be looking inside that much; of not being someone that stay put and make the well-rounded company that you made for example or have a steady community of friends around instead of having them all over the world. BUT, you just cannot stop the push that come from inside if you feel it, i like the human capability to do and create further too much, to stop chasing what I can learn next. If you ask me why I don’t want to die some day, it is because I will miss all that will come in the future, all that we will invent new.
I wish you to feel all of those emotions that you are planning to live, and I wish myself to build that company, since human beings need both, and may the universe bless all of us that do any of this in honesty and with an open heart like you do. Travelling (the real deal) is the most attractive, teasing, formative, unsettling, exposing and yet exhilarating experience all humans should have.