This vacation I read two books that inspired me and fueled my appetite for hacking my body, my mind, and my spirit.

Without a doubt, we are living in fascinating times. The first book I read is called “Super Human” by Dave Aspery. In it, he shares the latest techniques that have been developed to improve our health and radically increase our lifespan. Something he calls “biohacking.”.

What's fascinating about this book is that he has become his own guinea pig and recounts how he has invested over a million dollars testing countless things on himself. This has led him not simply to improve his health, but to regenerate his cells and neurons, initiating a process that allows him to turn back his biological clock. He says that with what he has done and with the scientific advancements to come, he plans to live, in full health, until he is 180 years old.

Absurd? Perhaps. But as the great Renaissance sculptor Michelangelo used to say, “The greatest risk we run is not in aiming too high and missing it, but in aiming too low and achieving it.”.

Let me just share with you a few of the findings included in the book. They teach us about the microorganisms that make up 80 % of our DNA and the importance of becoming expert farmers of our gut microbiome. It turns out that these creatures regulate our digestion, immune system, and vitality. And he shows us how our diet—that is, what we feed them—has a profound impact on our health and longevity. Specifically, the foods we eat—more than anything else—will help us combat what he calls the four killers: heart attacks, diabetes, cancer, and even dementia.

It also explores fascinating topics, such as the effect of light on our body and mind, and how resetting the circadian rhythm is vital for our well-being.

But it doesn't end there, it introduces us to new paths in science and presents us with revolutionary treatments such as reintroducing our own stem cells into our bodies, which, according to their own experience, not only revitalize us but also turn back the biological clock. Wow.

We are undoubtedly living in an unprecedented time in our understanding of physical health and how to influence physiological processes to take control of our health, revitalize our bodies, and radically extend our lives.

The other book I read is called “Stealing Fire” by Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal. This one deals with the other side of the equation for a meaningful life, how to transform our minds to be more balanced, productive, and happy.

Like the first book, this one also discusses scientific advancements and hacking, but this time it focuses on how to influence our minds to shorten the path to what they call “enlightenment.”.

Here, we examine four areas of human knowledge that are advancing by leaps and bounds and how each has the capacity to radically influence our minds, altering our perception of reality and the role we humans play on Earth. Specifically, they discuss the latest advances in psychology, neurobiology, pharmacology, and technology. They explain and provide examples of how, when applied strategically, these disciplines can help illuminate our minds to recover the unified and transcendent feeling of life, and drive us to assume our place, not as executioners, but as stewards of the Earth.

Without a doubt, these two books helped me to cap off 2019 with a bang and start 2020 with renewed optimism about humanity and our capacity to move forward by leaps and bounds to get out of the mess we've gotten ourselves into and together build a world we love living in.

So, for this start of the year, I invite you to make a firm resolution to hack your life and your health, and free yourself from all that dead weight that holds you back. Today, the knowledge and means exist to transform your body, your mind, and your spirit and become that light you long to see in the world. Go for it!

As always, I bid you farewell, reminding you that you are great and that life demands your greatness.