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.

A Turning Point

In early February 2017, I was sent by ambulance to the hospital after an MRI revealed massive internal bleeding inside my skull.

That night, skilled physicians at Methodist Hospital in Memphis performed surgery for a subdural hematoma. They drained nine ounces of fluid from between my skull and brain.

I spent my birthday that year in the hospital.

In the ICU, a chaplain visited while I was up and walking. He made a simple observation: not many people walk out of that kind of surgery with both mind and body fully intact.

That got my attention.

Two days later, I did walk out, with my mind and body intact, having avoided what could easily have been a stroke or worse.

What crossed my mind, both then and in the days that followed, was how fortunate I was. Lucky. Blessed. Grateful to be alive with all my faculties.

It took a while for that to sink in. But that experience marked a turning point in how I think about life, health, and what actually matters.

That shift continues.

The Direction of the Blog

The valuation posts have tapered off. In their place, I’ve found myself writing more about walking, health, pickleball, and the practical realities of getting older.

Not by design at first, but consistently enough to recognize a pattern.

The new version of ChrisMercer.net reflects that shift.

There’s a new photograph on the masthead. A new look. And a new tagline:

From Building Value to Living It – Aging Gratefully

A Career Focused on Value

I’ve spent much of my professional life thinking about value.

Since founding Mercer Capital in 1982, my work has centered on understanding what businesses are worth, how that value is created, and how it is ultimately transferred, and realized.

That work led to writing, speaking, and advising across the country, and to building a firm, with the help of many talented people, dedicated to that purpose.

Along the way, I learned something that wasn’t always obvious at the time:

Building value is not the end of the story.

The Shift

At some point, often later than it should, the questions change.

From How do I build more value?

To What is that value for?

From growing enterprises

To transitioning them, management, ownership, responsibility

And eventually, to something more personal:

What does it mean to live a life of value?

Three Realities of Aging

I’ve said for years that living a long and healthy life comes down to three things:

• Good genes
• Taking care of your health
• Luck

We don’t control the first. We have varying degrees of discipline about the second. And the third plays a bigger role than most people like to admit.

Based on my family history, my genes are probably average.

I’ve tried, sometimes better than others, to take care of my health. That’s an ongoing effort.

And I’ve been fortunate. I’ve avoided many of the things that have taken others of my generation earlier than expected.

At this stage, I’m aware of all three, and grateful.

Why “Aging Gratefully”?

There’s a lot of talk about “aging gracefully.”

I’m not sure what that means in practice.

But gratitude, that’s different.

• I am grateful to be here at 78.
• Grateful to walk five miles most days.
• Grateful to still play pickleball.
• Grateful for family, friendships, and the opportunity to keep learning.

Gratitude is not a conclusion. It’s a discipline.

What This Blog Will Be About

This is no longer a blog about valuing businesses.

It is about applying the lessons from a lifetime of thinking about value to life itself.

That includes:

• Health, walking, and staying active
• The realities (and limits) of aging
• What to do with time after stepping back from a career
• Lifelong learning
• Relationships and the people who matter
• Lessons learned, some the easy way, some not

I am not a physician and offer no medical advice. I am simply sharing experience and perspective.

Who This Is For

I’m writing primarily for aging professionals and business owners.

People who have spent decades building something, and are now facing a different phase.

• Over 50: approaching it
• Over 60: in it
• Over 70: no denying it

The Transition

At its core, this blog is about one idea:

Making the transition from building value…to living it.

That transition doesn’t happen automatically.

If this blog helps make it more intentional, it will have served its purpose.

Coming Up

My father taught me many things as I was growing up. One of the more important lessons began when I was a nine-year-old right fielder on a Little League baseball team.

What seemed like lessons about baseball turned out to be something more, practical lessons for life about situational awareness.

In coming posts, I’ll explore those lessons in three parts:

• Learning to See
• What Happens When We Stop Seeing
• Paying Attention as We Age

See you there.

And as always, be well, and age gratefully.

Chris