This post reflects on a surprisingly simple lesson learned during a restless night: sometimes the harder we try to control things, the worse they become. A small decision to stop checking the time led to better sleep — and a broader reminder that aging gratefully may involve letting go of habits, worries, and quiet anxieties that no longer serve us.
A recent trip to Machu Picchu reminded me that balance is not something we should take for granted. Uneven terrain, thousands of steps, and one controlled fall became a powerful lesson that physical balance, like so many things in life, requires intentional care and attention as we age.
This reflective story reminds us that the value we carry through life is often built in the smallest moments of human kindness. In a late-night airport encounter years ago, I learned that simply choosing to be decent, not strategic or extraordinary, can leave a lasting impact and shape how we experience both business and life.
That risk doesn’t go away with age. If anything, it increases. Situational awareness becomes more valuable as our margins narrow. It’s one of the simplest ways to compensate for changes we can’t entirely control.
What I’ve come to appreciate over time is this: it’s one thing to learn a lesson. It’s another thing to maintain it. Because most of the time, we don’t lose awareness all at once. We simply stop paying full attention.
A childhood lesson from a Little League field becomes something much larger: learning not just to watch the ball, but to see the whole field. Situational awareness, understanding where you are, what’s changing, and who else is involved, can shape outcomes in subtle but meaningful ways. It may not eliminate risk, but it can shift the odds in our favor.
Walking off a recent flight into Memphis, I noticed a dozen wheel chairs lined up along the left wall of the jet bridge. A dozen. That meant there were at least a dozen people on the plane who would need assistance just to get from the aircraft to baggage claim, or beyond. Two thoughts came […]
ChrisMercer.net has a new look—and a more important shift in focus. For many years, this blog was about business valuation. That reflected my professional life – helping business owners, attorneys, and advisors understand, build, and realize the value of private businesses. Over the past few years, however, something has changed.
Even with a lifetime of outdoor activity, I never imagined heat exhaustion would sneak up on me — until it did. On a sweltering Florida morning, after a routine walk and a few games of pickleball, I found myself unable to get off a bench, in need of emergency care, and facing the harsh reality of how quickly heat can overwhelm the body. This experience taught me a powerful lesson: hydration and vigilance aren’t optional in extreme conditions. I hope my story encourages others to take the risks of heat seriously — before it’s too late.
Regular readers of this blog know at least two things. First, I have not posted much in recent months, and second, I have written about walking off and on for years. In this post, we look at several aspects of walking programs including how the idea of 10,000 steps per day came to be.
