🕺🏻The Sad Story of Michael Jackson

Hey guys,

I hope you all had an amazing week!

I’m writing this at 6:45am towards the end of my night shift covering the paediatric ward last night. This week, I found myself going down a Michael Jackson rabbit hole, reminiscing over some of his classic hits like You Rock My World and Billie Jean. I used to be quite a big fan of his and even had the chance to see Thriller Live in London—a show I absolutely loved. It’s still one of my fondest memories.

I vividly remember the day we all heard the shocking news of his passing. I was about 12 or 13 years old, and it felt like the entire world came to a standstill. At the time, I was too young to fully grasp the circumstances behind his death, but this week, as I revisited his music, I felt compelled to dig a little deeper into what really happened.

What I uncovered was a deeply sad story. In the months leading up to his death, Michael was reportedly dealing with immense stress, anxiety, depression and severe chronic insomnia. It’s said that in the weeks before his passing, he hadn’t slept a wink and began experiencing hallucinations and was seen talking to himself at times. A significant part of this was attributed to the pressure surrounding his preparations for what was to be one of his biggest tours yet - “This is It”.

To help him sleep, Michael allegedly hired a cardiologist to prescribe medications, including fentanyl. Fentanyl, if you’re not familiar, is a potent drug used by anesthetists to induce sleep during surgery. While it didn’t replace the natural restorative effects of sleep, it gave him the sensation of feeling refreshed, almost as if he had slept a full night. Over time, however, Michael’s body became increasingly tolerant to the drug, requiring higher and higher doses to achieve the same effect.

His doctor reportedly attempted to wean him off the medication, but this proved difficult. Tragically, this ultimately led to cardiac arrest, and Michael’s heart stopped. When I read this story, I was genuinely shocked. Michael Jackson—arguably the biggest pop star in modern history, with money, fame and a global fan base—faced such immense struggles that contributed to his death. It made me reflect deeply on what it truly means to be successful.

Speaking from personal experience, I’m by no means a millionaire. But I work hard every single day to achieve my goals. Sometimes, I forget to remind myself that even though I’m not yet where I want to be, I’m a doctor who saves lives every week and works hard to impact others through my medical career and my YouTube channel. It’s easy to overlook the achievements we’re slowly making in our lives.

During my night shifts this week (I’m currently on night number 5) I had a realization about happiness. I believe that to be happy in life, it really comes down to three things:

1. Something to do. Not just any task, but something you believe in—something that contributes to the world in some meaningful way. This could be through your work, volunteering, or even helping out your family, friends and colleagues.

2. Something to look forward to. It could be a holiday with loved ones, a personal project or anything that excites you. Whenever life gets tough, I always try to add something positive to my calendar to help make the journey a little easier.

3. Someone to love. This doesn’t have to be romantic. It could be anyone—family, friends, or a partner. If you have people you care about and who care about you, that’s a huge win.

If you have these three things in your life, I believe you’ve truly won at life.

When I think about successful people like Michael Jackson or Elon Musk, it’s easy to focus on their fame and fortune. But if you look at their day-to-day lives, you’ll often see immense struggles, like the ones Michael faced. This perspective has helped me pause and appreciate where I am right now.

Would I trade my life for Elon Musk’s—complete with multiple divorces, 20-hour workdays and constant stress? Definitely not.

So, this week, I encourage you to ask yourself: Have you achieved these three things? What goals are you currently working on, and what are you willing—or not willing—to sacrifice to achieve them?

If there’s anything else you think is essential for happiness, hit reply to this email—I’d love to share your thoughts in next newsletter video.

Have a fantastic week, and I’ll see you in the next one!

Doctor Kenji.

👍🏾 Things I’ve enjoyed this week

• 1. Seasonal Affective Disorder Lamp (Well-being) - This whole month, I’ve been working night shifts, which means very little sunlight for me—especially when daylight saving time kicks in. During winter, I also notice that I don’t feel as energetic or as happy as I do in the summer months due to the reduced sunlight. To help combat both these issues, I invested in a SAD lamp. It emits 10,000 lumens of light, which mimics natural sunlight, helping your body adjust to the seasons and making you feel more awake. The evidence suggests that for people with Seasonal Affective Disorder, using this lamp is as effective as antidepressants. If you experience the winter blues or work night shifts like me, this is an absolute must-have.

  2. Kingdom Rush (Gaming) - I’ve been enjoying Kingdom Rush on my Steam Deck. This is my third Kingdom Rush game, and I’m absolutely loving it. I play it both on my PC and Steam Deck, and my goal is to complete the entire series. It’s a tower defense game that’s great for passing time when I have a few spare moments. If you enjoy strategy games, I highly recommend giving this one a go.

  3. David Lloyd Gym Membership (Fitness) - I used to be a member of David Lloyd a few years ago but cancelled it towards the end of medical school due to the cost. Recently, I decided to rejoin one of the more luxurious David Lloyd Clubs in my area, and it’s been a game-changer. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been doing high-intensity interval training (HIIT) classes, swimming and relaxing in the steam room, sauna and jacuzzi. I’ve even played a bit of tennis. It’s definitely pricey (around £150 per month), but if you enjoy a good workout followed by some relaxation and the occasional meal in the café, I highly recommend checking it out.

  4. iPhone 16 Pro Max (Tech) - I recently upgraded my phone from the 13 Pro Max to the 16 Pro Max. While it’s not a total game-changer, the small upgrades like the dynamic island and finally having Type-C USB charging have been great. The camera is also fantastic, and I’m looking forward to testing it out over the next few weeks.

📹 The latest video in case you missed it:

📚 Highlight of the week

How to Live by Derek Sivers - The inspiration for this post

Happiness is something to do, someone to love, and something to desire.

3-2-1: On Discarding Old Commitments, Handling Disappointments, and How to Go From Vision to Reality by James Clear

Anytime in my life when I have managed to go from a vision to a reality, the vision has not been a plan but a practice.

In other words, what matters is not having a vision, but rather making a habit of returning to and revising the vision. For the big things in my life, I'm always coming back to them week after week—sometimes day after day. As new information arrives, the vision gets updated. The dream becomes more crystallized over time. It's a habit of thinking about where you want to go with an ever-increasing degree of clarity.

You do not need a vision, you need the practice of envisioning."

Non-Negotiable Rules for Living if You Want to Be Moderately Wealthy

Rejection and failure mean you’re doing something right The best learning comes from rejections and failures. Only once you experience a lesson do you truly understand it. That’s why I use the number of failures and rejections I get as a way to measure future wealth. I know the more negatives I’m battling now, the more I’m learning lessons that’ll create enormous value in the future. My online business is a result of those failures and rejections. Some people know my success story. What they don’t know is that this is the fourth attempt at my current business. Rule: rejection is redirection.

Resurfaced to me by Readwise

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