The short answer is no, I'm not having a midlife crisis, but I did recently celebrate my 50th birthday on March 16, 2025, and it was the most meaningful birthday I've ever had.
I always thought the big decisions were what shaped my life trajectory, but my 50th birthday celebration revealed something way more interesting—it's actually the tiny, everyday choices that determine where you ultimately end up.
My wife fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine: to drive a Ferrari! It was a 488 Spider: 0-60 in 2.9 seconds, 660HP, 205mph top speed, it was scary fast!
First, a quick recap of why my 50th was so meaningful. It began with a trip to Florida to visit my Mom the week before my birthday. One of my sisters and my nephew also came up from Miami to surprise me. We golfed, ate, swam, played games, and laughed until we cried.
Afterward, my heart was full.
Next, I arrived home and celebrated with my wife and children the following day. My wife had arranged for my kids, family, and mentors to write encouraging letters. My kids read theirs to me during dinner. There were tears and laughter.
My wife wrote, “Honestly, Kent, you are one of my biggest inspirations, and I can’t even imagine where I would be if I hadn’t met you.” (The feeling is mutual; my wife is the best person I know by far and has had the biggest impact on my life).
My twenty-one-year-old son wrote, “I realize everything you did and said was for a reason.”
My eighteen-year-old daughter wrote, “You were and still are my biggest inspiration to follow my heart and my head, which has shaped the kind of person I am now.”
And my twelve-year-old son wrote “50 Reasons Why You Are So Awesome.” Some of them were a hoot:
“You always say I can do it, even if it’s not helping.”
“You always know what’s best for me, even if I don’t admit it.”
“You correct my grammar, even if I don’t like it.”
And there were endearing ones, too:
“You always congratulate me even if I get B’s in school, and some parents are angry about that.”
“You get me birthday and Christmas presents with your own money.”
“You always somehow tend to make up a silly name for me each day.”
My heart was bursting.
But the celebrations still weren't over. One week later, my wife arranged a final celebration at Jack’s Abbey Brewery with six of my close friends. Two-thirds into the celebration, my friend of twenty years asked everyone to share a word of encouragement with me.
Words like loyalty, perseverance, father, pastor, faithfulness, and friend were used, and one of my friends asked me to share three pieces of wisdom I've learned in my 50 years that would be helpful for them.
Now, my heart was overflowing.
The Compound Effect
Throughout all these celebrations, one thing stood out to me:
The investments people have made in me and those I have made in myself, in my faith, and in others, were compounding.
Like compound interest in an investment account, your choices compound, too, good and bad.
That’s not to say I’ve done everything perfectly. In some of those same letters from my children were some hard statements, like:
“Though we haven’t always gotten along...”
“You taught me responsibility (albeit a bit heavy-handed sometimes).”
But for the most part, the number of good choices I made far outweighed the poor ones. Honestly, before this year of compounding joy and abundance, it felt like twenty-five years of hardship. Not that it was all bad, there were many good things, but there was so much struggle…
The late-night fights trying to save our marriage
Praying for money to buy groceries and pay bills
Struggling to overcome my anger issues
The frequent disappointments, setbacks, hurts, and letdowns that come with leading organizations and people
Looking back, I realize those struggles made me who I am. But through it all, there was also persistence and perseverance to stay the course, though I sometimes felt like giving up.
It reminds me of the One Degree Rule…
The One Degree Rule
On March 28, 1979, a sightseeing plane bound for Antarctica crashed into a mountain, killing all 279 people onboard. The crew had not been informed of a two-degree correction made the night before, but one or two degrees can make all the difference. The One Degree Rule states that for each degree a plane veers off course, it will miss its destination by one mile for every 60 miles it flies.
The same is true for life.
If your trajectory is just one or two degrees off, you may not notice it much over a year or two, but by the time you get ten or twenty years out, it’s apparent to everyone around you.
My ten-year high school reunion was a good example. I went from the class hellion to receiving the “Most Changed Since High School” award.
Now, thirty years out from high school, those choices and that trajectory are clear. And the future looks bright. I feel more peace, contentment, and joy than ever. Not that there won’t be more hardship, there will, but I’m learning to enjoy life for what it is,
A beautiful, messy gift.
Want to dive deeper into the lessons I've learned from each decade? Continue reading on my blog where I share key insights from my 20s, 30s, and 40s, including what my future self would tell me at those ages. These aren't just my stories—they're mirrors that might help you see your own journey more clearly.
