Yes, why another midlife blog…? Why should a middle-aged, white, heterosexual man living in the Western world and working in an office turn to blogging?

I must seem like the embodiment of dull, boring normalcy. What on earth can a guy like me write that would be useful to the rest of the world?

Well.

There is no such thing as dull, boring normalcy

Everyone has raging battles to fight, deep ravines to cross, frightening monsters to face – and small to glorious victories to celebrate, most of them kept secret.

But I’m a deliberate one.

I wasn’t for most of my life. But when I decided to change my life twenty-some years ago, I had to become one.

I have made massive changes, and I’m still in the process. And it’s dawning on me that I have a purpose and mission in life.

Why?

How to make waste count

I won’t claim the first five decades of my life were extraordinary, but I had my fair share of hardship. The ‘easy’ way out would be to label those decades as wasted and try to forget about them. 

But I don’t want them to be wasted. I want them to count. Even though my life is my life, there is a lot in it that millions of other people have experienced and experience as you read.

I want to use my abilities to make life easier for someone. Even if I can help only a few, it will give meaning to my ‘lost years’.

In particular, I want to tell people it’s never too late. Change is possible.

Why is this my mission

This is where the deliberate one enters the stage.

• Even when I struggle, and I still do sometimes, the analytical me always tries to gain a bird’s-eye perspective, to find causes and effects, patterns, and solutions.
• This allows me to learn from my experiences. 
• I’m also a fairly good communicator and can make my experiences relevant, understandable, and available to others.
• And I never give up and want to show others they don’t have to.

These are my talents. I feel the responsibility not to squander them, which creates a mission for my (mid)life.

You are most welcome to deliberate.one.