Middle aged… and fired up

In 22 minutes I will turn 45… my youngest son has claimed that 44 is when you are officially “old”… so I guess I am now old…or at least halfway through my life (I hope!).

But I have a 79 year old father who reads a book a week, walks 10,000 steps a day (even during lockdown inside an apartment)and still has a twinkle in his eye. So there is inspiration…

So as I turn 45, I am for once serene (and those of you that know me know that is a dichotomy). Two years ago I said I was stepping back from the VC firm I co-founded. It was my choice. Two and a half years ago I made a proclamation that I wanted to back S**t that Matters. That was my choice.

So I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about how to do that… and perhaps this is my mid-life crisis, but if I only have have half my live to live I must as well get going on making an impact beyond a Like button, one more app shipped or another scooter company backed.

I asked my kids whether they thought they would still be alive in 2150, and two of the three said yes (and I assume the little one said no just to be contrarian). I also asked Twitter:

2150 is 130 years away…. and 39% of you agreed that your kids — as mine did- believe they will still be around. So this is not a “next generation” thing…. this is a looking over to your kids and thinking what kind of world you want them to have thing.

So, as the minutes click down until this milestone birthday, I just wanted to memorialise that I am “fired up, and ready to go!”

Should I write a follow up post to this in 45 years I want it to say “I found the Gigacorns and I saw them rise… I know my children and their children, come 2150, will thrive”

So, according to my son I am “old” now… but I feel young to take this new mission on…

Oh and look it is now past midnight… let’s get to it!