When breath becomes air - Dr. Paul Kalanidhi

“When breath becomes air” by Late. Dr. Paul Kalanidhi is a good read. A very intense subject, about handling death, being a doctor and knowing his end. There were a few pages when I could not read beyond, and tears that I could not control.

When a life is formed, it comes with a certain end date. Every year, month, week, day, hour, minute, second - there is a choice to make: it can be seen as living or getting closer to death. Knowing that death is inevitable, the choice is clear: To Live. 

From the first thing in the morning - the wake up alarm - we make conscious or unconscious decisions. For most part, it is for our own benefit and rarely on behalf of someone else. Either way, the decisions are driven towards our lifestyle - we never have to make a choice between life and death - at least, not in my work. 

This book gave a striking realization of what it is to make a life determining decision every single day. The decision and an action, as a neurosurgeon, can change the life of not just an individual but the dream for an entire family / generation. 

It also taught me how to approach a problem - is it finding the solution to the problem and tick the checkbox in my ToDo list or trying to understand the “person” side of the problem and fix it.

There is a right frame of mind that I found very helpful:

• What is important to me?

• Will my actions bring meaning to my life?

• Have I made the right choice?

This framework is the biggest take away for me. This will drive the value that we live for and make our living better.

A good read, highly recommended.