the dichotomy of life’s work

The most depressing thing I’ve seen in a while, an idea for an aging population, and 3 workouts for this weekend.

Author

Morgan Tate
August 15, 2025

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While shopping at a department store recently, I walked past a life-size cardboard cutout of one of its employees with the forced smile of a hostage on their face. Below the employee was a sign that read:

"59 days until retirement!"

There were a few happy face emojis, a big exclamation mark.

My honest reaction? I thought it was one of the most depressing things I’ve ever seen.

If you’re literally counting the days until you stop doing the thing you spend most of your waking life on… that’s not a career, it’s a life sentence you’re serving.

I then gave myself a pat on the back. I was an entrepreneur after all, liberated from corporate prison—until it hit me.

Many entrepreneurs are trapped in a similar prison. Worse yet, we're the delusional inmates of our self-contained cells.

We ‘work our own schedule’ which means every waking hour possible. We starve ourselves from a raise or comp bonus “until we hit $X revenue.” The retirement countdown turns into a “once we sell” countdown.

I’ve been there.

When I started my first tech company, I was all in. Obsessed. Driven. Totally convinced that building this startup was my life’s work. But over time, the thrill turned into the grind, especially as the start-up struggled. The work that once lit me up became a daily cycle of stress and obligation. I was chasing the car, caught it, and then realized… I didn’t love being in the driver’s seat (I wrote about that here).

Most founders remain trapped in this cycle, chipping away at the walls of their solitary confinement for years (or decades) until they eventually break down. I took a different path—I stepped away, created my anti-list (what I do not want from work), and built my new company Breakwater M&A around what I loved doing, rather than what I thought I should do.

That doesn’t mean I’m against suffering — far from it. I’ve said before that struggle is essential (exhibit A). But there’s a difference between meaningful struggle that forges you… and meaningless grind that slowly kills you.

As Marcus Aurelius put it:

“You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.”

Two truths can live together here:

  1. If you’ve found the work that lights you up — keep going. Even if it’s hard. Even if it’s uncertain. That kind of purpose is worth the effort.

  2. If you’re grinding out years of unhappiness just for a future escape — stop. There are better ways to spend your finite hours than building something you can’t wait to walk away from.

The dichotomy of life's work lies in finding a mission where the journey—not just the outcome—becomes your perpetual energy machine. Without this, you may become the cardboard cutout in your own life's simulation.

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idea of the week 💡

Credit: Idea Browser

  • problem: Cognitive decline robs seniors of independence, causes social isolation, and increases caregiver burden.

  • idea: "Mind Vitality" - A platform that delivers personalized brain workouts with interfaces specifically designed for older adults. The platform automatically adjusts difficulty based on performance, creating the perfect balance of challenge and achievement to keep seniors engaged.

  • how it makes money: $19/month for individuals and $99/month for senior living facilities, accessing the $85B elder care market with a scalable solution.

  • why it might succeed: Strong competitive advantage through a personalization engine that identifies exactly which cognitive skills each user needs to strengthen, delivering exercises that feel like engaging activities rather than clinical interventions.

  • why it might fail: Moderate complexity due to tech integration and user accessibility challenges. Potential competition from established brain training platforms.

friday fitness

Three different workouts to try this weekend:

at-home workout:

Complete this circuit 4 times:

  • 15 jumping jacks to mountain climber transitions (30 seconds each)

  • 20 prisoner squats with 3-second pause at bottom

  • 40-second forearm plank with shoulder taps

  • 10 burpees with full extension at top

Challenge: Add 2 reps to each exercise every round

gym workout:

  • 5x5 trap bar deadlifts (focus on hip hinge)

  • 3x12 incline dumbbell press (controlled tempo)

  • 4x10 cable rows with pause at contraction

  • Finisher: 100 kettlebell swings for time (break as needed)

outdoor workout:

Find a park bench and complete:

  • 6 rounds of 40 seconds work/20 seconds rest

  • Odd rounds: Bench step-ups with high knee drive

  • Even rounds: Decline push-ups with feet elevated

  • Final challenge: 400m sprint followed by 60-second wall sit

tweet of the week

Video of the Week

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