Fifty-Seven
I am fifty-seven years old today.
As I have done for the last twenty years, I plan to spend the day at the beach surrounded by family.
Birthdays don’t bum me out. I look forward to them. They are a time to celebrate life.
And that is what I plan to do.
I will make time today for myself, my work, and my friends and family.
Which is a microcosm of where I find myself in mid-life, seeking and largely finding a balance that keeps me healthy, happy and engaged.
And this blog is a big piece of that and I appreciate the role that all of you play in my life.
Comments (Archived):
Happy Birthday!
Have a good day at the beach! Happy Birthday
Is say go out and have a great birthday but it sounds like that’s the plan already!
Happy Bday Fred!It’s been a great summer for natural Pet Nat’s.I will raise one to you this evening!Enjoy!
Did you apply sunscreen liberally? Happy birthday!
yes, my mom and wife both remind me to do that
Glad you’ve got that covered
I remember your birthday posts before you turned 5-0 .Time flies when having fun .Have a beer on the AVC posse today.
might be a glass of white wine, but i will do that.
All the best, Fred.
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
This one!https://youtu.be/inS9gAgSENE
Haha @JimHirshfield:disqus – keep an eye on whats really important š . HBD Fred!!!
Happy Birthday Fred. And I hope you have a dry Jeep to drive around in!!!
not yet, but getting there. my yoga mat also got soaked. i keep it in the jeep. made mysore challenging in a good way today. slip siding away!
Happy Birthday ! Thank you for these daily posts – I appreciate them a lot
All the best Fred, have a wonderful day!
Happy Birthday!
It’s funny to think I’ve been reading this blog for over 15 years (?) ish. I feel like I’ve watched your kids grow up. Time flies. Have a great birthday š
yeah, they are all up and out of the house now.
Happy Birthday. Enjoy the beach.
Happy birthday! I’ve been reading this blog for *gasp* at least 6 years now, and I’ve learnt and grown a lot in the process.
Happy Birthday Fred. Iāve been (mostly) silently reading this blog consistently since it was launched in 2002. So On this your birthday – I want to say a profound thank you for your enormous dedication to the Herculean Scale of the blogging project which has touched and changed so many lives in its depth, consistency, scope, humor, breadth, intelligence, compassion and reach. It has been such an important and constant thing in my life that even when I donāt read it for a few days or weeks – just the knowledge that itās there and that you are dedicated to the daily task of writing – is a huge comfort and guide. Like the Northern Star. I canāt tell you the how much Iāve learned from your thoughts (and the Gotham Galās), stories, links, videos, instruction, view on life, travel, appreciation for life. So on this your birthday I want to come out from the shadows of a āpassive readerā and say a BIG thank you for all that you do and write to wish you (and all of us) many many more years of great writing and thinking and life.
Agree 100%
thank you
Right on, always enjoy checkin’ in when time allows. Dig this group and Fred’s commitment to sharing, and collective ideas.
Happy Birthday big fella….. I’m only a few months behind you š
Happy Birthday Fred. Your blog tells a lot of how you have structured your lifestyle, around disciplines, methods, lot of fun and hard work, and of course sharing and learning and sharing with folks and community. Enjoy the day.
The Heinz one. Enjoy!
HBD FW! Enjoy and thanks for the blog.
Wish you a very happy Birthday. I learn a lot everyday by reading your blog. I appreciate the fact that you take time out of your busy schedule to write this blog. The new generations of VCs like me finds a great mentor in you through your blog. Thanks for the great legacy.
Since you like art, here’s one from Jennifer Yane. “Youth is a gift of nature. Age is a work of art.”
i love that
Happy birthday sir. Enjoy the beach
Even the words in your post radiate a sense of confidence, calmness, acceptance and optimism. Happy birthday indeed.
those words are good ones. i appreciate you saying that.
Fwiw, your vulnerability and sense of security in who you are; is what allows you to be so transparent. That transparency has given me the opportunity to learn and grow from afar. I will always be grateful :-)A suggestion, you should consider getting a world class editor/interviewer and turn your AVC posts into a book.
Joyeux anniversaire Fred!
Happy Birthday-Life is meant to be fun and enjoyable-livin the dream….
We appreciate you Fred! Happy bday
hbd mr wilson, wish you many more happy & peaceful years with your loved ones.
HBD!!!
Sending wishes for a remarkable day and year ahead. Thanks to you for your continued generosity in sharing with us all on this blog. Enjoy.
Happy b-day, Fred!
Happy BDay Fred! Thanks for your positive contagion in this blog about all you learn and enjoy in your life. It’s enjoyable to be in the nosebleed seats being a fan of your journey.
āThe tragedy of growing old is not that one is old but that one is young.ā – Oscar Wilde.Always be young. Never be tragic. Hope the weather is good.
Happy Birthday and thanks for the dedication and thoughtfulness required to publish daily on AVC. Having some form of “required daily reading” is a great way to start the day.
HB… enjoy the moment
happy birthday!
Happy Birthday Fred!! Thank you for all your insights and mentor ship in both life, tech and business. I’ve been a big fan of your blog for the past year and a half, it’s helped me grow as an individual and as a leader. I particularly loved the quote “You can’t manage what you can’t measure”, it’s radically changed the way I manage both myself, my projects and others.
Happy Birthday Fred! Thanks for providing advice, how to and mentorship to both your home run hitters and the bench warmers
Happy Birthday!!!It is a good time to have fun with family. This weekend my SIL was in from Paris, we always make it a Birthday weekend (no matter when in the week it falls) I as usual did the cooking: Saturday: New York Strip, Garlic Mussels, and fresh Amish Corn on Sunday: Maryland Crabs, Applewood Smoked St. Louis Ribs, and smoked JalapeƱos with cream cheese and bacon.People say you shouldn’t cook on your birthday but I hope you share a good meal with your family however it makes you happy. (cooking makes me happy)
Happy Birthday Fred.If you want to live to a ripe old age don’t eat what Phil does (sorry Phil I guess if in moderation it’s ok but wow how do you digest all of that???)New York Strip, Garlic Mussels, and fresh Amish Corn on Sunday: Maryland Crabs, Applewood Smoked St. Louis Ribs, and smoked JalapeƱos with cream cheese and baconThat said anything in moderation. But how do you eat some of those things? I’d be in pain if I even came close to ‘smoke Jalapenos with cream cheese and bacon’. Or the ribs for that matter.Sorry much of this is out of jealousy also I have to admit because I simply can’t tolerate eating either a large amount of food or even certain foods. That said the upside is I maintain 100% perfect weight with zero effort.
My inspiration is a neighbor I had. I think worrying about it is worse than doing it. Think of your Dad yup camps were not good for him. I had a neighbor (WWII Vet) that smoked two packs of Lucky Strike un-filters (nails as in your coffin a day), bottle of Jack Black Scotch as well. Strong as a horse until 98. Would work with me. Sure he went hard, but compared to a slow death?? In your sleep fine.
My Dad’s doctor (and this is back when I was growing up) would say ‘the triglycerides won’t kill you but the worry will’.I just found that Dr’s med school graduation (1937):https://jdc.jefferson.edu/c…The doctor died in 2000 at the age of 88.I will tell you the funny thing about cigarettes. The health issues are the net result of usage. Nobody ever says anything about the upside of usage. Obviously the question is if people didn’t smoke what other unhealthy activity would they be doing? How many times have you seen Wawa people catching a cigarette? Note in my area you mostly see lower class people smoking. A hanging air freshener I finally figured out means ‘I smoke’. As do those stupid things hanging over windows to prevent rain from coming in when someone is venting cigarette smoke.With the food you obviously get a great deal of pleasure both out of eating but also cooking and planning to eat. (So does JLM and for that matter so does Gotham Gal, right?)So I am not discounting (to my smoking point) the upside of the fun that you have. [1]Obviously most people don’t have the genes or the luck to smoke like your neighbor did and live that long.By the way last point is there is a big area between ‘die in sleep’ and the suffering of medical issues brought on by a bad event (which honestly I don’t kid myself about and I don’t also consider myself a foolish health nut or obsessed in any way shape or form).[1] You also know that I invented the theory of ‘flip the reward system’. So what I am telling you is that when I am able to resist the temptation of eating more than a sliver of cake I actually get a bump from that and a positive feeling. I get pleasure out of that abstinence that most likely rivals your pleasure from eating.
I am just saying that guy was putting in fence posts and hunting a month before he went down.
There are a lot of myths about food but when eating the type of food Phil describes, which I love for celebrations, I always pair with a good and thick cabernet sauvignon. To close, tea with peppermint or aniseed. It works for me.No “perfect weight” for me though. š
Is the Chilean diet close to the Mediterranean diet? Read that the latter is healthy, same for French, even though they have a lot of butter and fat. Maybe the red wine helps.
If people limited themselves to “ensaladas”, maybe. But not really. Central Chile food has Spanish roots, which is more greasy I think. And people also like to bbq. It is a mix.I don’t have evidence, but wine helps.
“Thick?” Not clear. (I don’t know much about wine.)Aniseed – what part – the seeds?
Where are the carbs and veggies (for a balanced diet), except for the corn? Or did you have it but not mention it?And if it’s sweet corn I have read it is not so healthy. Other cereals and even potatoes may be better.Also, HFCS in food products (processed ones at least).https://en.wikipedia.org/wi…No criticism, just interested. I keep reading about what people in other countries eat.
We have more organic vegetables than you can imangine from my garden. Tomatoās peaches plums peppers just not as sexy. š
I can understand that happiness. I think that it is a beautiful way to give, selecting and cooking food for the ones you love. To feed them, to please them, to share with them.. nervously expecting their verdict through the expression in their faces, after the first bite.
Happy birthday, Fred! Thanks for your inspiring, interesting and informative thoughts – look forward to many more!
Happy Birthday! .. and thank you.
Happy happy Birthday Fred!
Happy Birthday and continued Harmony…
Happy Birthday Fred š wishing you a beautiful day with your family on the beach. Thanks for sharing your gift of writing with us on a daily basis. You inspire me to do the same.
Happy birthday Fred! Love your blog! Many many more!
Happy birthday, Fred! Enjoy your special day, and adding my voice to all of the others here in appreciation of the ‘gift’ you give all of us every day…!!
Happy birthday Fred! Thanks for taking us all along on your journey. š
HBD Fred – enjoy the R&R.
Happy birthday, Fred!
Happy Birthday, Fred!
Just remember, old punks never die. They just stand at the back. Glad to see you’re still in the mosh ;-Phttps://youtu.be/E-7O1I589sM
Happy birthday! Thanks for all the work and love you put into this every day.
happy birthday fred. perhaps gotham gal should be out shopping for a new jeep ? enjoy
Happy birthday, Fred!
Thanks for sharing, even on your birthday.
CONTRIBUTORS:SPOILER ALERT!Let me tell you why you are here. 1:20https://www.youtube.com/wat…———-The idea of celebrating the date of your birth is a pagan tradition. In fact, many Christians didn’t celebrate birthdays historically, because of that link to paganism. Pagans thought that evil spirits lurked on days of major changes, like the day you turn a year older.http://www.historynet.com/w…Captain Obvious!#UNEQUIVOCALLYUNAPOLOGETICALLYINDEPENDENT
Happy birthday from downunder Fred! May this year be your best yet.
CONTRIBUTORS:Paganism is synonymous with America’s holidays and celebrations origins.Captain Obvious!#UNEQUIVOCALLYUNAPOLOGETICALLYINDEPENDENT
Are you Celtic or Teutonic?
Vasudev Ram:We personally are not of European (Scottish, Irish, Welch or German) origin but there are several within our group who acknowledge those ethnic descriptions.You assumed because we defined Paganism that we adhere to the pagan culture? You would be wrong. We abhor pagan anything.Captain Obvious!#UNEQUIVOCALLYUNAPOLOGETICALLYINDEPENDENT
I did not assume anything.I was pulling your leg, my friend.Pagans are cool guys, BTW ;-)Have a good day.
Happy Birthday Freddy boy!
Happy birthday, Fred.
Happy Birthday Fred! You opened a door of learning about VC and more thanks years ago and you keep going strong. May you find balance in all things for years to come.
Happy Born Day Young Man!
Happy Birthday. I hope you have a lovely day. Thank you for all the ideas and insights you share.
happy birthday fred. may you have many more
Didn’t see you around here for a while, Shana.
life has been complicated for me
Hope things get better for you soon, if there are issues.
Happy Birthday 57 vs 75, a lot of runway, the new middle !
Enjoy!
Happy Birthday Fred- Thank You for all you do and share !
I hope you’ve been having a great day, Fred. Happy Birthday.
how many times have you peed today. pretty much all that matters now
Happy birthday, @fredwilson ! Thank you for sharing your blog with us.
I rarely comment here even though I read your blog everyday. Happy Birthday Fred! You are right looking forward this day, and you are absolutely right to enjoy them!Have a nice day! š
Happy belated…and to you – what so many others here have said.
Belated Happy Birthday Fred. You have made a big difference in my life with your daily posts. I was introduced to your post 6 years back and have been following consistently. You are one my life mentor, I gain lot of knowledge from your post and try to use it my life . I really got introduced to Start up world from your posts and even worked for a Start U. Thank you Fred for all the wisdom you provide.
Happy Birthday Captain.
I’ve never made a comment here, even though I’ve been reading for the past 3 years without missing a post. I’ve never been on social media whatsoever and never will, so this may be my first and last comment on the internet.Here, I’ve learned about entrepreneurship, relationships, wealth creation, and giving back. Here, I wanted to settle down and have a family because I saw the unconditional love you give to your wife and kids. Here, I became an optimist and believed that I would change the world for the better one day.Thanks so much for sharing all these valuable lessons in life. Happy Birthday. I love you.
Happy Birthday, Fred! I am new to venture and love reading your blog. It was recommended to me by a friend about a year ago and I have since recommended it to anyone I’ve come across looking to get into VC. Thank you again!