Write something readers can relate to on some level. That’s my goal as I craft these essays. I’ve used this space before to offer my grading scale for how your loved ones celebrate your birthday. I penned that article way back in my 40s. How immature! On review, that was lacking deep cognitive thought. I was lacking the self-awareness I now possess.

This week, I turned 50 years old.

I spent the last weekend of my 40s with my two closest friends, savoring a whiskey-marinated filet mignon and sipping on an Old Fashioned as I prepared for my next phase of life. When the big milestone birthday hit on a Monday (how fitting), I looked back on some of those late-night conversations the previous weekend, and I jotted down notes at my favorite coffee shop.

I assume I was the only one there scribbling down notes while having a midlife crisis. I joke. I think.

We can’t control how others react to your birthday. Or really, how they react to anything. Take control of the narrative. We can put forward knowledge learned so the next generation can learn from our experience. See? I’m being very altruistic in my new decade. That’s the upside of age. The downside is breaking out the iPhone flashlight to read a menu in a dark restaurant. My lovely wife just buries her head in her hands and probably thinks, “I should have really continued dating that cute cop back in the day. I should reconnect with that guy.”

Some of those thoughts I penned while consuming a $7 java:

1. Meet with individuals who have a drastically different perspective than you. Listen. 
2. You get perspective when life kicks you in the shins.
3. In sports and society, cheer for the underdog. The story is better.
4. You will encounter negative people. They are that way for a reason. Practice empathy. Protect your joy.
5. Put in the work. You will sleep better at night.
6. Mistakes can be a catalyst to a better life.
7. Don’t beat yourself up.
8. When your buddy makes chicken wings at 3 a.m., and you worry they may not be fully cooked, walk away from the chicken wings. Go to bed.
9. Give wisdom to your children. Hopefully, they will listen, eventually.
10. YOU control your mindset.
11. Do things that scare you a bit – it’s a good way to grow.
12. Write letters. Nobody pens correspondence. Be an outlier.
13. Be authentic. People see through fake. Also, learn how to spot fake.
14. There is NOTHING like the pure joy of your dog when you return home after being gone for a few hours. They greet you with adulation and wet kisses. We can learn a lot from the canines.
15. Take no day for granted. It is never promised. Live in the moment. Celebrate life!

Read my complete 50 lessons learned in 50 years at www.baldandwitty.com. If you see me at a restaurant, feel free to share the best nugget of knowledge you have gained in your life. My table will be the only one with a spotlight.

I should be easy to spot.

By Tony “Michaels” Michalski, the founder of www.baldandwitty.com, the host of the What the Father podcast, and featured in “Real Haunts 4” as a podcast host. Real stretch there.