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Showing posts from March, 2026

Why I Decided to Become a Morning Runner — Again

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  Why I Decided to Become a Morning Runner — Again After two years of injuries and excuses, the answer was embarrassingly simple. I just had to wake up earlier. I. The Hunger to Run For the past two years, the pattern was always the same. Train a little, race, get injured, spend months unable to run. Recover just enough, race again, get hurt again. Despite years of running, I was going nowhere. This year, I changed one thing: I stopped chasing times and focused on staying healthy. The results? A full marathon finish. A 100km ultra finish. Both without injury. After every previous race, I'd been limping for weeks or unable to run for months. This time, I could lace up again within days. I didn't realize how extraordinary that was until I experienced it. That difference — between pushing too hard and coming home in one piece — deserved a closer look. Pushing too hard → Injury Finishing healthy → C...
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[Part 18] AI Era Survival — I'm Not Starting a Business. I'm Building a Structure.

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[EP18] AI Era Survival — I'm Not Starting a Business. I'm Building a Structure. AI Survival for the 40s & 50s · Series EP18 · Holding on is also a strategy They say you can tell an entrepreneur from the start. I was told many times that I wasn't that type. And honestly, I believed it. So I just worked hard at my job — that was my plan. Until my late 30s, that felt okay. I believed that if I worked hard enough, making a living would take care of itself. But in my mid-40s, something shifted. I realized there was nowhere else to go besides the job I was already at. That reality does something to a person. You start tolerating things you shouldn't. You stop expecting fairness. You learn to survive by swallowing your pride. And then a question hit me hard. I gave everything to this job. My time. My energy. Sometimes even my family. So why, in my mid-40s, am I still anxious about money? What did I do wrong? Then one word — one I'd...
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[Part 17] I Couldn't Look My Wife in the Eyes on Her First Day Back

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[Series #17] I Couldn't Look My Wife in the Eyes on Her First Day Back A Working Dad's Survival Story in the Age of AI · Series #17 · Holding on is a strategy. But you can't do it alone. I want to share a story about my late mother-in-law. I love spicy food. She knew that. So whenever she made stir-fried anchovies, she always made two versions — one with dried chili peppers, one without. That was the kind of person she was. She took care of her son-in-law better than her own children. One day, she said something quietly. "Shouldn't you let your wife rest now?" At the time, our first child was three years old. Our second had just been born. My wife had three months of maternity leave, and then she was expected to go straight back to work. My response was simple. "Things are a bit tight right now." They say men are slow to grow up. I was. I wasn't thinking about it at all. I just assumed that was how life worked. By the time I'...
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[Part 16] AI Era Survival for the 40s & 50s — Starting Small with What You Already Have

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[Part 16] AI Era Survival for the 40s & 50s — Starting Small with What You Already Have A Working Dad's Survival Story in the Age of AI · Series #16 · What $0.01 Proved When someone says the word "business," the first thing that comes to mind is always the same. Capital. For people like us — salaried workers — the word "business" immediately triggers thoughts of money. Our parents can't back us financially. We don't have tens of thousands sitting in the bank. So the options that come to mind are predictable. A loan against the house. A loan against the lease deposit. And that's where we stop. Because that house isn't just an asset. It's the space where our family lives. It's the ground we've held onto through everything. For people who've spent their careers choosing stability, it's the last line we simply cannot cross. I felt the same way. This house — I told myself — I will never tou...
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[Part 15] What Should I Start Right Now in the Age of AI?

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[Part 15] What Should I Start Right Now in the Age of AI? A Working Dad's Survival Story in the Age of AI · Series #15 · No Answers. But Something Has to Start. Turning 50, everyone around me seems to be going through a crisis. The team manager who used to run every meeting with authority — one honest word got him pushed out. After six months of unemployment, he scraped together everything he had and opened a fried chicken place. The executive director from a foreign company — three years of severance pay burned through, now heading out to wallpaper job sites every morning. The trusted friend who managed our savings group — he came to see me recently, head down. "I used that money too. For the business. I'm sorry. I'll pay it back when things get better." He's been looking into taxi driving, wallpapering, forklift certification, delivery work — but even with new credentials, turning them into actual employment isn't easy. A...
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[Part 14] The Job Is Hell. But You Still Can't Quit.

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[Part 14] The Job Is Hell. But You Still Can't Quit. A Working Dad's Survival Story in the Age of AI · Series #14 · Why You Have to Hold On — Even When You're Done By your mid-40s, the resumes you send out stop coming back with offers. And the people above you — they know it. 'Where are you going to go?' Whatever thin layer of courtesy was left gets dropped. The gloves come off. Before you even walk into the meeting room, the outcome has already been decided. No matter how thoroughly you prepare, someone is already waiting with a reason to find fault. "If I had anywhere else to go, I'd quit today." When I was younger, I used to vent to my wife. Complain about work, blow off steam. But by my mid-40s, I stopped. I didn't want to worry her. Three months went by like that. My body started giving out — slowly, quietly. Until my wife finally said something. "Quit if you have to. No job is worth this. But w...
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[Part 13] Two Jobs, a Career Change, or a Third Way?

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[Parts 13] Two Jobs, a Career Change, or a Third Way? A Working Dad's Survival Story in the Age of AI · Series #13 · The Most Realistic Choice for the 40s & 50s I sit at my desk, staring blankly, worrying about this month's revenue. Some days, the phone doesn't ring once. Still, I show up early every morning and stay until closing time. Some days, I feel less like a person and more like a mannequin keeping the office warm. ··· The sun feels warm today. Cherry blossoms and forsythia will be in full bloom soon. Spring always comes, right on schedule. But the problem of making ends meet always makes spring feel far away. A thought crosses my mind. "Does it even make sense to sit here when nothing is happening?" "I heard someone is making $5,000 a month doing deliveries…" Online, I keep seeing stories of people who made it big through YouTube or blogging. It's hard not to be tempted. So I started. In the quie...
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[Part 12] What Can I Live On in the Age of AI?

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[Part 12] What Can I Live On in the Age of AI? A Working Dad's Survival Story in the Age of AI · Series #12 · Taking Stock of What I Actually Have On my way home, I ran into a delivery driver waiting at the elevator. Years ago, it was always young guys doing that job. But lately, I keep seeing men around my age. ··· "Is he working two jobs?" "When business is slow, would I be better off doing delivery runs than just sitting at my desk feeling miserable?" I pushed those thoughts aside and opened the front door. I didn't want my wife to pick up on my mood, so I forced some brightness into my voice. "I'm home." I. The Question Everyone Is Asking How much longer can I keep doing what I'm doing? This isn't just a question for the self-employed. Salaried workers, freelancers — with AI now added to the mix, we're all standing in front of the same wall. "Jobs will disappear. You need to accept that." ...
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