Reflections on Naveen Jain’s Keynote Speech at the Biohacker Summit

So many things to think about. So many decisions to make. Naveen Jain's keynote speech at the Biohacker Summit I recently attended left me contemplating a profound question: “What am I willing to die for?”

This question struck a chord with me. I realized I'd be willing to die if I experienced chronic pain every day, gnawing at my existence. I'd be willing to die if my brain couldn’t learn and grow, if I was no longer able to retrieve or retain information.

Naveen then offered a powerful perspective: “Then live for that every day.”

So, what does it mean to live for:

• Not being in chronic pain

• Being able to retrieve and retain information (i.e., brain function)

Living for Something Means...

It’s an intransitive verb—a verb whose context does not entail a direct object. According to Collins Dictionary, “living FOR something” means “It is the most important thing in their life.”

Based on this definition, the most important things in my life are to live pain-free and maintain good brain health.

Building Understanding

When something is the most important to you, you start by understanding it. You spend time with it, invest money in it, find a community around it, and eventually share it with others. You improve your understanding over time—a concept I talk about a lot with clients called continuous improvement.

Tending to it

Many people say, “I love it,” when referring to something very important to them. This may be true, but I once heard a quote that likened love to planting a rose bush rather than merely admiring a cut rose in a vase. When you love something, you tend to it.

If living pain-free and maintaining healthy cognitive brain functioning are the most important things to me, and if I love being free of chronic pain and using my brain to think, learn, and remember, then I must tend to these things daily.

Continuous Justification

Naveen also spoke about making money from your “to die for” passion. This reminds me of the advice my father shared with my 4th grade art class during a parent job day: “Going to work should feel like going to Dairy Queen.” Naveen mentioned he jumps up each morning to do what he does. He has a message, a mission, a purpose. His purpose aligns with what he would die for. We should all strive for the same. Instead of looking for opportunities to make money, we should look for opportunities to pursue our passions. The money will follow.

Once you’ve identified your “to die for” passion, continuous justification is the next step. You have to keep asking yourself if that’s still the right passion, if you’d still die for it, so that you always remain true to your greater purpose.

As I move into the next chapter of my career, I get closer and closer to my calling, my truth, and to having a powerful story to tell.

Let Me Introduce Myself...

Hello, my name is Rebecca Sanchez and I’m a biohacker. I am a student of myself. I am a friend, a daughter, an educator, a curator of information, a cancer survivor, a suicide survivor, a child of dysfunction, and a fibromyalgia warrior.

This is where the chapter starts, but it’s not where it ends. In this chapter, I’m choosing to live for what I’d die for.

Now, Ask Yourself…

Friends, if you’ve made it to the end, I encourage you to take a few moments before you move on with the next part of your day.

What are you willing to die for?

Once you’ve identified something, ask yourself…

What’s one thing I can do today to start living for it?

Naveen Jain is the founder of Viome, a company that specializes in health testing and epigenetics to help others find the best path forward. Read more about his life and work HERE.