Life is not the number of breaths you take

Life is not the number of breaths you take:

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Life is not the number of breaths you take.

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It’s about the number of moments that take your breath away.

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That’s it.

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That’s the secret.

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Chasing moments of wonder.

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Moments of wow.

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Moments of absolute presence.

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Where everything stops and it’s just you and the experience.

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Happened to me recently at Ironman weekend.

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Running across that finish line.

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‘Anish Kaushal, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN.’

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Insane.

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Still insane to say it.

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Did I really do it?

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Really train 6 days a week for 7 months, cut alcohol and complete a 3.8k bike, 180k swim and run 42.2k?

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Yup.

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That was me.

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There were several moments during it of complete presence.

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Of just being lost.

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Mind blank.

Just going.

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The ultimate feeling.

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Flow.

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Doing your thing.

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Not focused on the outside world.

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Focused on yourself and your experience.

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There was a moment where Sachit’s kid was running next to me and high-fived me as he passed me.

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That’s a moment I’ll remember forever.

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One that’s almost too poetic to imagine.

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That’s all life is.

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Trying to create as many of those moments as possible.

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The thing I’ve learned about them is that it’s always about others.

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My therapist made me realize this years ago.

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My happiest moments of that year were always around other people.

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Never alone.

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That’s the thing about success.

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If you’re chasing goals all your life that you forget to look around and bring people with you, then what’s the point?

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You’ve missed the whole journey.

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Happiness doesn’t happen at the end.

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It happens throughout.

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It’s a choice.

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To embrace presence.

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To be in the moment.

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To understand that the only moment that exists is right now.

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There is no past.

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There is no future.

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There is only now.

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This breath right here.

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One day you’ll take your last one.

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You don’t know when that will be.

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Could be tomorrow.

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Could be decades from now.

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But one day you will go.

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That last breath will be taken.

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And what will you be thinking about?

Thinking about memories.

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Experiences.

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Moments.

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Moments that take your breath away.

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That’s it.

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That’s all you should be chasing.

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