I see loads of good guys all around me everywhere I look, whether online or in the flesh and blood world, but many of them (like me) have had the stuffing knocked out of them.
Life has kicked them in the crotch a few times and they can’t quite bring themselves to get back to their feet and risk taking another hit.
It’s far safer to lie on the ground in the foetal position knowing that you’ll never feel the sharp pain of the steel toecap on your nether-regions ever again. The trouble is, unless you get to your feet and move around you’ll only get to see the world from your (mostly) comfortable, but very limited perspective.
I don’t want that, and neither do you. I’m not going to spend my life staying still in one position staring at other people’s ankles, even if they do have a nice tattoo of dolphin on them.
No, I’m getting back to my feet, covering my low hanging fruit with my hands, and running around like a demented Llama (I figure it’s more difficult to hit a moving target!).
Look, I’ll get to the point, I’m 42 and I’m bored with my midlife crisis and frankly I think every one around me is bored with it too.
Yes, I’ve had some crap in my life to contend with and it’s stopped me being the decent human being that I am, and I want to put that right.
I am definitely a good guy at heart but I haven’t always felt like a good guy or acted like one. There are times when I’ve been a bit of a jerk and annoyed the people I love. I’ve also annoyed people I don’t love and whilst that’s fun, it’s not really what being a good guy is all about. 
I’m through the worst of my midlife crisis (or “awakening” – if you’re a tree hugging hippy) and that’s largely because I’ve started to change my thinking.
I want to write about being awesome and being happy and enjoying life. I want to write about getting over a midlife crisis in weeks rather than years. I want to write about rainbows and pixies (OK that’s a lie), but I do want to write about some serious issues without too much hand wringing and getting overly earnest.
I want this site to become much more about ‘unleashing awesomeness’ and releasing ‘the inner good guy’, written from a midlife-crisis-having stay-at-home dad who’s trying to build a business so that he can live the life of his dreams kind of perspective – so stick around, I’d love your company and your insight.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: mazda__madness
January 2, 2011 at 23:00
Don’t make promises you can’t keep. I have my hands firmly on my G-string – now where do I mail it to?
Apres mid-life crisis party anyone? Already had mine, always up for another!
You are already awesome Dave – take the blue pill and see how far the rabbit hole goes. My knickers are ready!!!!
Just reading that back, could read better! – it’s a Matrix thing – reality and all that. Oh I give up
I’m sure you know what I mean.
Twitter: DaveFowler
January 3, 2011 at 13:59
LMAO.
I can’t wait to see the kind of traffic the search engines send my way.
The Matrix is is a great film! It rings true in many ways.
A midlife crisis is a great gift but I didn’t see it that in the beginning. It lasted way too long for me and I took it far too seriously.
Send the undies to….
Twitter: ificouldescape
January 5, 2011 at 11:03
Wow, Dave! This is such a great post and just what I needed to read right now.
Twitter: DaveFowler
January 5, 2011 at 11:21
Hi Karen, that’s brilliant!
I think I got a bit over excited with the post title though!
I’m ahead of you by about 10 rotations round the sun, but not so much with regard to the mid-life crisis. Been thru many a pair of knickers, if you catch my drift. (holy s#!t, not again!) Still self-employed, still getting used to the certainty of an uncertain income from month to month, still trying to figure out how to juggle twitter and blog posts and making money. But we’re surviving!
My transition (better word than “crisis” IMHO) is going on three years now. A word of caution… don’t try too hard to hurry up the process. Check out William Bridges’ book, “Transitions”. Western society tends to downplay the value of living in limbo. It’s uncomfortable, but we should take a cue from the academicians: sabbaticals can be good things!
Twitter: DaveFowler
January 5, 2011 at 14:07
Hi Richard, the filter got you there for a while.
Transition is a good word. ‘Crisis’ is pretty ugly and doesn’t really cover it. The first time someone ‘accused’ me of having a midlife crisis I kicked back against it.
The book sounds promising but my own experience tells me I could have gone through the transition so much quicker and saved a lot of heartache for myself and my family. I guess this all kicked off (gradually) from around 35ish (although I can trace elements of it back even earlier), so I’ve had 7 years of it (and so has my poor family
).
It’s good to hear that things are working out for you and I understand fully the ‘juggle’.
I’m a little offended that you don’t want to write about Pixies and rainbows.
The thing is – blogging has dipped off my radar a bit but whenever I read what you’re writing I always find it interesting and ever so not boring. Keep it up!
Twitter: DaveFowler
January 5, 2011 at 13:14
Pixie!!
You are one Pixie I’m willing to make an exception for. Rainbows are definitely out though. They were spoilt for me after I watched a YouTube video of some guy balling his eyes out over a double rainbow! I mean it was nice but c’mon!
Thanks for the kind words. You make me smile like an upside down double rainbow.
Haha! I was thinking about that exact clip from the double rainbow guy, what a freak! Anyway, I presume your next post will be you in your knickers?
Twitter: DaveFowler
January 5, 2011 at 13:29
Hahahaha. You’re too late I wrote that particular post around two years ago when I used to write on a fitness site. Never again! I can’t risk ruining people’s eyesight and/or digestive systems.
I was thrilled to read this Dave! Um, not much else to add to the conversation than that.
Twitter: DaveFowler
January 12, 2011 at 16:46
Tracy, wow, i write about unleashing awesomeness and as if by magic you appear! What are the chances??
Thanks for dropping by, it’s always lovely to see you!
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