Transform Your Life in Midlife

Author, Joe Rutland, transformed his life in midlife. It’s never too late!

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Joe Rutland is an author, writer, podcaster and journalist who transformed his life in midlife. He has spent 30-plus years in the communications industry. He’s a contributing writer for The Good Men Project. A native Texan, he’s also lived in Arizona.

Joe is passionate about supporting the emotional well-being of children, adults and parents in the cleft, craniofacial and facial difference community around the world.

I interviewed Joe on Last First Date Radio about his new book, Midpoint: a Sourcebook for Your Midlife Journey. In the highlights below, Joe shared powerful tips on how he overcame many of life’s challenges.

What events have played a role in your midlife transformation?

In midlife, I realized that life is worth living. It’s not a repetitive journey. There’s more to me at 50 than what I gave myself credit for. I’ve often short-changed myself. I didn’t realize that I had overcome a lot. I had made a worthwhile life.

In midlife, I chose to take a hard intentional look at what I was attracting into my life.

I was born with a unilateral cleft lip and palate and had many surgeries. I overcame emotional trauma. I survived a lot of crap. I made it through relatively sane, even though I’m still a work in progress.

I learned I’m a winner, not a loser. I’m a winner when it comes to having friends that care about me, to being empathetic. I’m a survivor and thriver, I’m creative. These things were there, but I didn’t have a realization and full appreciation of them. I learned through difficult situations, like having a flat tire in the middle of the night in Arizona and sleeping in the car, but still being able to hold my head up high. I know that I have value as a human being. 

I’m willing to take a risk, to be authentic and honest and vulnerable, even by doing this radio show. People thirst for authenticity and vulnerability. 

Do you believe that the type of transformation you went through can only happen later in life, or can it happen at any age?

I believe it can happen at any age. I personally believe you can be 19, 24, 36, or in your eighties, and go through a transformation in your life. Awakening, awareness, and aha moments happen at any stage in life.

What do you hope to gain from writing about and sharing your midlife transformation?

If you’re able to share your growth experience in a safe space, it makes it that much more tasty and beautiful. It sucks to do it in isolation!

I hope that people who read the book will put themselves in my stories and experiences, whatever the response will be.

I also hope it’s a springboard for people all over the world to have me speak with them about the process of transformation and work/life balance through transformation.

I hope people use the book as a reference guide to know they’re not alone. We are all not alone. We’re all connected together as people. 

Listen to the episode here.

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