About

Thriving Over 50

I started this blog to help people just like me. People in their 50s who likely made some mistakes in the first half of their lives, but who want to right their wrongs and succeed wildly in the second half.

This blog won’t be for everyone. Trust me. At times, I can be rather “focused,” but I won’t bite. Honest. You just have to trust me on that until you start reading my stuff.

Research and writing are two things I really enjoy, so I’m really good at finding answers when necessary. If you stick around, here is a snapshot of what you will hear from me:

50 Firsts Challenge

How to overcome your fear of failure. Follow me as I challenge myself to do 50 new things. Many people stop learning when they graduate from high school or college, but I still love learning.

This “little” Challenge will push me beyond my fear of failure (this has always been a major hurdle in my life) by forcing myself to do new things. Will I fail? I guess you will have to follow along to find out.

Financial Freedom Over 50

In the first two decades of my marriage, I managed to go $150,000 in debt in addition to my house. Thankfully, my first wife is still my only wife and we are on our way out of that dark hole. It’s not hopeless and I will be Free in 5.

Film and Video

I don’t have visions of producing the next Star Wars series, but I do love video. If you love it too, you might learn something new by hanging around for a while.

Fit Over 50

I’m the same size I was in high school – 5’9″ Tall and 160 pounds – and I can still outwork most people half my age. Hey, it’s not bragging if it’s true 🙂

My “secret” is really no secret at all. Eat right and move every day. That’s it. I haven’t talked much about this for years, but it’s time to start.

Fun

I love to have fun, although I ignored that for years. It’s high time we all made this a priority by setting aside time every day for fun.

That’s a lot of F’s, huh? It’s just seemed to worked out that way. Most people who don’t know me might think I am pretty serious. While I do like to focus, I can also be fatuous (you know, silly).

Most of all . . .   I’m Here to Help YOU!

If I did it and screwed it up (which happens a lot), I also likely figured out how to fix it (did I mention I’m pretty good at fixing stuff?).

Success comes to those who are willing to fail . . . a lot. Hopefully, you can learn from my mistakes and we can enjoy watching each other succeed in the second half of life.

You will also learn from my successes, and have a shot at avoiding the same boo boos, boners and blunders I made.

Subscribe to my newsletter, won’t you?

Why? Because I want to stay in touch and learn from you! Pretty selfish, right? If you reply to my email newsletter it will come straight to me, so I can respond if necessary.

When you ask a question, I can answer directly to you, but I can also answer through my blog or a video to help a lot more people (unless you say otherwise). That’s the beautiful thing about building a community. Everyone benefits.

 

For those who want to get a little more personal . . .

When I was a kid, I lived in a small town in Central Oregon, where our main street was lined with small businesses run by people who actually lived in our community. Imagine that.

Plus, I knew just about everyone and they knew me.

My dad was the local pharmacist, so he knew a lot of people in our little town. And that wasn’t such a bad thing. Everyone looked out for everyone else. My friends’ parents knew who I was, where I lived and how to contact my parents if necessary.

The other thing I loved about growing up in Redmond, Oregon, was how close I was to my friends. I could hop on my bike and visit a friend’s house in 5 minutes. In fact, most of my friends were within a 5 minute bike ride.

Very cool.

It has been 25 years since leaving that great little town. The population has grown from about 5,000 to nearly 50,000 and things aren’t what they used to be.

My brother still lives there with his wife and 7 kids, so I do visit regularly (the picture at the top of this page is of me on a mountain bike ride just 20 miles from where I grew up).

Today, I live in Boring, Oregon (yes, that’s a real town), with my wife of 24 years and our son, who is a Senior in high school. Our daughter is married and pursuing her life as a singer-songwriter with her incredible husband.

I have worked in the same job for 25 years and my last day will be bitter sweet. The people I work with are outstanding folks, but I do look forward to freedom day when it’s just me and my stellar wife, out exploring the world together.

Peace.