Essays
The Spark, published here in full, and the longer essays. RSS.
The Spark·November 1, 2026
It's my birthday (next week)
Turning 21 years old. A reflection:
Essay·October 31, 2026·40 min read
The 2027 Marketing Playbook: How to Generate So Much Demand It Breaks Your Business
How Jay Yang generates future demand and captures current demand: brand, PTL, the content multiplication system, and paid ads.
The Spark·October 28, 2026
Thank you 🫶
You're the best
The Spark·October 25, 2026
Life update: I started 2 new businesses
Let me explain...
The Spark·October 20, 2026
On dying young...
A powerful story about living fully
The Spark·October 18, 2026
How to find your North Star
If you feel lost, read this...
The Spark·October 11, 2026
How to get ahead (cheat code)
Want to compress timelines? Do this...
The Spark·October 10, 2026
How to land your (very first) online client
This 14-year-old kid impresses the heck outta me
The Spark·October 9, 2026
A quick update on Work with the Best
Are we an Amazon best-seller??
The Spark·October 4, 2026
A few thoughts on money...
Excerpt of a talk I gave at my old college
The Spark·October 3, 2026
A Mini Guide to Self-Publishing A Book
How to Write, Publish, and Market a Book
The Spark·October 2, 2026
How to work with your heroes
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·October 1, 2026
Why I dropped out of college
The LENS Framework
The Spark·September 30, 2026
My new book is out :)
Work With The Best is AVAILABLE NOW (!!)
The Spark·September 27, 2026
How I grew my YouTube to 10k subs in 50 days
Tips, tricks, & tactics
The Spark·September 20, 2026
Life update: I went to New York again...
Reflections & Updates
The Spark·September 16, 2026
Why I wrote my new book...
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·September 13, 2026
You can just NOT do things
The case for scheming
The Spark·September 9, 2026
How my twin brother got an internship this past summer
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·September 6, 2026
Life update email :)
A few wins, learnings, and what’s on the horizon:
The Spark·September 2, 2026
A tale of 2 hires
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·September 1, 2026
My business results from August
Business update:
The Spark·August 31, 2026
doors close at midnight
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·August 30, 2026
How to get what you want (faster)
Patience vs. Passivity
The Spark·August 23, 2026
How to become a top 1% earner in the digital age
Self-Pity Has No Utility
The Spark·August 18, 2026
Life Update: I'm launching a writing cohort
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·August 16, 2026
The most profitable skill in 2026
How to make yourself "oversubscribed"
The Spark·August 12, 2026
How to meet rich & powerful people
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·August 10, 2026
My first YouTube video is out now!!
What I learned working with Alex Hormozi
The Spark·August 9, 2026
How to figure out what you want
Be a Mad Scientist
The Spark·August 5, 2026
I’m having a baby...
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·August 3, 2026
How to sign clients in 2026
The Contact Quadrant Method
The Spark·August 2, 2026
How to get better (faster)
How I learned copywriting quickly
The Spark·July 29, 2026
Q&A about my new book
Have questions? I have answers...
The Spark·July 26, 2026
Take The Swing
A little motivational reminder
The Spark·July 25, 2026
Dan Koe changed my life. Here’s how:
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·July 24, 2026
ok, are you kidding me??
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·July 23, 2026
How I landed a job with Alex Hormozi at 19
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·July 22, 2026
I wrote a new book
My new book is available for pre-order
The Spark·July 21, 2026
Book launch tomorrow
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·July 19, 2026
10 reminders to self
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·July 12, 2026
How to Find Your “Unfair Advantage”
Is Ikigai accurate?
The Spark·July 5, 2026
How to balance ambition & fun
Do you need to sacrifice one?
The Spark·June 28, 2026
How to Accelerate Your Career
Pursue learning before earning
The Spark·June 21, 2026
How to Write a Cold Email
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·June 14, 2026
What Alex Hormozi taught me
The Theory of Constraints
The Spark·June 7, 2026
A few thoughts on being kind
Empathy, perspective, anger
The Spark·May 31, 2026
Notes on Hustle Culture
wdym u don't work 7 days a week??
The Spark·May 24, 2026
I spent a week in New York
What I learned...
The Spark·May 17, 2026
A few thoughts on money & happiness
If you're so smart, why aren't you happy?
The Spark·May 10, 2026
A few stories on patience
Investing, basketball, & martial arts
The Spark·May 3, 2026
How to be dangerously influential
The PTL Framework
The Spark·April 26, 2026
Clean vs. Dirty Fuel
Do you like hitting the ball?
The Spark·April 19, 2026
How to be more disciplined
The Hawthorne Effect
The Spark·April 12, 2026
I spoke to 250 students at my old college
What I learned...
The Spark·April 5, 2026
Life Update: I'm moving back to Chicago
I quit my job, started my 2nd book, and learned a lot
The Spark·March 29, 2026
How I make career decisions
The Four Pillar Framework:
The Spark·March 22, 2026
How to deal with criticism
The Parable of The Angry Villager
The Spark·March 15, 2026
The Pyrrhic Victory
How to avoid being miserable
The Spark·March 8, 2026
The Ultimate Guide to Building A Network Online
This is a juicy one...
The Spark·March 1, 2026
A few thoughts from a week in SF
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·February 22, 2026
And then what?
The case for slowing down
The Spark·February 15, 2026
How to get ahead at work
Find your "AND"
The Spark·February 8, 2026
How to accelerate your career
5 of my fav pieces of advice
The Spark·February 1, 2026
I went through a breakup...
Unhinged Habits
The Spark·January 25, 2026
How to crush it at your new job
Your first 90 days
The Spark·January 18, 2026
How to win in your 20s
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·January 11, 2026
The Slow Rich Life
A reflection on my definition of "rich"
The Spark·January 4, 2026
My goals for 2026
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·December 28, 2025
A lesson from Jeff Bezos
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·December 21, 2025
How to get what you want
The North Star Filter
The Spark·December 14, 2025
5 Micro Essays
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·December 7, 2025
The Annual Review
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·November 30, 2025
I got featured in Forbes
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·November 23, 2025
Does this belief serve you?
The Scar Experiment
The Spark·November 16, 2025
Play The Right Games
The Cobra Effect
The Spark·November 9, 2025
Twenty
A Reflection
The Spark·November 7, 2025
Something I never do (but it's my birthday)
I have a gift for you :)
The Spark·November 2, 2025
3 lessons from running my first marathon (that have nothing to do with running)
Jay's Journal
The Spark·October 26, 2025
I'm running a marathon right now...
A brief reflection
The Spark·October 19, 2025
If you feel lost, read this...
Solomon's Paradox
The Spark·October 12, 2025
4 lessons from 6 months of living alone
Jay's Journal
The Spark·October 5, 2025
What to do when you feel upset
The Insulted Monk
The Spark·September 28, 2025
What to do when you feel overwhelmed...
The Professor’s Jar
The Spark·September 21, 2025
Why Consistency Is Overrated
The Parable of Consistent Chris
The Spark·September 14, 2025
The Art of Strategy
Tian Ji's Horses
The Spark·September 7, 2025
7 weird hobbies that changed my life
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·August 31, 2025
25 Questions to Ask Yourself
Ask better questions, get better answers
The Spark·August 24, 2025
The Battles You Don't Fight
A short story about the power of focus
The Spark·August 10, 2025
Some personal news...
I'm running a marathon
The Spark·August 3, 2025
What to do when things don't go your way
The King's Ring
The Spark·July 27, 2025
How to Stand Out
The Parable of The Three Brothers
The Spark·July 20, 2025
The Parable of The Master Carpenter
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·July 13, 2025
What I learned watching a Nature documentary...
Antelope vs. Field Mice
The Spark·July 6, 2025
How to get ahead of 99% of people
Pay down your ignorance debt
The Spark·June 29, 2025
How to overcome imposter syndrome
Eagles & Pigeons
The Spark·June 22, 2025
I had an identity crisis this week...
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·June 15, 2025
My odd pickleball obsession...
And what it taught me about learning faster
The Spark·June 1, 2025
My favorite Ben Franklin story...
Paris Politics
The Spark·May 25, 2025
Making progress is easy, actually
The Monkey & The Pedastal
The Spark·May 22, 2025
I'm dropping out of college...
This might be the coolest thing I’ve ever typed...
The Spark·May 18, 2025
Earn Your Wisdom
The Parable of Chauffeur
The Spark·May 11, 2025
Busy Isn't Better
The Parable of The Two Lumberjacks
The Spark·May 3, 2025
How I got a $150,000 job with Noah Kagan at 17
You Can Just Do Things
The Spark·May 1, 2025
How I landed an internship at a tech startup at 16
The Permissionless Approach
The Spark·April 30, 2025
My new book: You Can Just Do Things out now
A dream unfolding...
The Spark·April 27, 2025
Never Let A Good Crisis Go To Waste
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·April 20, 2025
How an inexperienced college kid got an internship at Shopify...
The Public DM
The Spark·April 13, 2025
What I learned from my cross country coach...
Work Capacity
The Spark·April 6, 2025
You can just stand out
The Zebra & The Red Dot
The Spark·March 30, 2025
This lesson humbled me...
The Empty Cup
The Spark·March 23, 2025
Why effort is NEVER wasted...
The Man & The Rock
The Spark·March 16, 2025
Busy Isn't Better
The T3B3 Review
The Spark·March 9, 2025
Why you feel stuck in life...
The Elephant Rope
The Spark·March 2, 2025
The truth about working hard...
The Story of The Two Nephews
The Spark·February 23, 2025
What I've learned about patience...
The Farmer & The Seed
The Spark·February 16, 2025
No Risk. No Story.
The Blacksmith's Leap
The Spark·February 9, 2025
The Price of Greatness
The Blacksmith's Choice
The Spark·February 2, 2025
What a monk can teach you about moving on
The Two Monks And A Woman
The Spark·January 26, 2025
How to break free from social judgment
The Dartmouth Scar Experiment
The Spark·January 19, 2025
How to Overcome Fear and Self-Paralysis
The Fear-Setting Method
The Spark·January 12, 2025
How to learn to love rejection
The Coffee Challenge
The Spark·January 5, 2025
How to do more in less time
The Eisenhower Matrix
The Spark·December 29, 2024
There's no speed limit
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·December 22, 2024
The best of 2024
Books, articles, podcasts, & more
The Spark·December 22, 2024
My goals for 2025
I wasn’t planning on sharing this.
The Spark·December 15, 2024
The most important thing I do each year...
The Annual Review
The Spark·December 8, 2024
If this isn't nice, what is?
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·December 1, 2024
How do you spend your time?
The 6 graphs of time
The Spark·November 24, 2024
I spent the weekend at a retreat (life update)
20 college-aged entrepreneurs in an Airbnb at an undisclosed location
The Spark·November 17, 2024
3 Ideas I can't stop thinking about
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·November 7, 2024
19 lessons from 19 years of life
My annual reflection
The Spark·November 3, 2024
How to land your dream client
The Pitch Deck Strategy
The Spark·October 28, 2024
Are you a chicken or an eagle?
A parable about the power of your environment
The Spark·October 20, 2024
You're Never Too Good For This
A story about sticking to the fundamentals
The Spark·October 13, 2024
My 1 Month Reflection on College...
The good, the bad, and the ugly
The Spark·October 6, 2024
The #1 habit that improved my writing...
Search, Save, Systematize
The Spark·September 29, 2024
What a master con man taught me about writing online...
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·September 22, 2024
Scale the leverage ladder
How to earn more, work less, and enjoy life
The Spark·September 15, 2024
I hired my first employee...
My next phase of business
The Spark·September 8, 2024
This email is about stress
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·September 1, 2024
Are you suffering from Shiny Object Syndrome?
If you try to do everything, you end up accomplishing nothing
The Spark·August 24, 2024
3 Things I Learned This Week
From my first week of college
The Spark·August 18, 2024
I feel like quitting...
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·August 11, 2024
I feel stuck...
Writing to my future self
The Spark·August 4, 2024
What I do before I start a new project
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·July 28, 2024
10 Things I Learned From Noah Kagan (On Marketing, Entrepreneurship, & Life)
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·July 21, 2024
How to land Your Dream Job (Using Free Work)
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·July 7, 2024
5 Things I'd Tell My Younger Self
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·July 1, 2024
My Mid-Year Review
Wins, Losses & Future Plans
The Spark·June 19, 2024
This is long overdue...
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·May 19, 2024
What I've learned about self-confidence
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·May 3, 2024
Wealth creation, loneliness, and verbal competence
Jay's Finds - May 3rd, 2024
The Spark·April 28, 2024
Jay's April Recap
5 things I learned in April
The Spark·April 26, 2024
Nutrition, customer service, and psychology
Jay's Finds - April 26th, 2024
The Spark·April 21, 2024
10 Lessons From My Abnormal High School Experience
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·April 19, 2024
Free time, career advice, and asking good questions
Jay's Finds - April 19th, 2024
The Spark·April 14, 2024
My decision on college
Will I regret this?
The Spark·April 7, 2024
How I Attract Career Opportunities
The Power of Luck and The Internet
The Spark·March 17, 2024
This too shall pass
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·February 4, 2024
I skipped school (again) to fly to Austin
Here's what I learned...
The Spark·January 28, 2024
5 Strategies to Have Better Conversations
How to Become A Master Conversationalist
The Spark·January 14, 2024
I skipped school to go to San Francisco
Here's what I learned
The Spark·January 7, 2024
My Ambitious Plans For 2024
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·December 17, 2023
See You In A Decade
My Thoughts on Handling Rejection
The Spark·December 3, 2023
23 Lessons From 2023
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·November 19, 2023
Career Slingshots
How to accelerate your career (with the internet)
The Spark·November 5, 2023
10 Lessons From Meeting Internet Friends Face to Face
Yesterday, I spent the day in Chicago with two friends I met on Twitter.
The Spark·October 29, 2023
The Personal Progress Check
How to actually make progress on your goals
The Spark·October 22, 2023
Make It Count
Some thoughts on finding your life's work
The Spark·October 15, 2023
The Startup of You
Why You Should Treat Your Career Like A Startup
The Spark·October 1, 2023
What I Learned From Elon Musk
Mars, the idiot index, and first-principles thinking
The Spark·September 24, 2023
10 Ideas I Can't Stop Thinking About
A Peak Inside My Mind
The Spark·September 17, 2023
Turning Pro
Why some people make progress while others don't
The Spark·September 10, 2023
How to Have A Damn Good Conversation
What I've Learned From Dozens of Online Conversations
The Spark·September 3, 2023
How to Create Your Own Luck
Luck is often the result of positioning, not predicting.
The Spark·August 27, 2023
The Difference Between Distractions & Opportunities
Distractions are often dressed up as opportunities
The Spark·August 13, 2023
How I became an intern for beehiiv (Part 1)
I'm spilling all the secrets...
The Spark·August 6, 2023
The Truth About Financial Security
Security doesn't mean what you think it does
The Spark·July 30, 2023
How to Not Regret Your Career
A few thoughts on creating a meaningful career
The Spark·July 23, 2023
The Solomon Paradox, making better decisions, and the never-ending now
Jay's Weekend Wrap
The Spark·July 16, 2023
Why Great Writing Is Selfish
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·July 9, 2023
3 Important Lessons I Learned This Week
Closed mouths, focus, and foundational skills
The Spark·July 2, 2023
The Secret To Lasting Success
The Stonecutter's Mindset
The Spark·June 25, 2023
My Thoughts on Going to College
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·June 18, 2023
One Simple Trick to Sell More Digital Products
(And no, it's not "talk about it more")...
The Spark·June 11, 2023
Why "Productize Yourself" Is Terrible Advice For Creators
(And What To Do Instead)
The Spark·June 5, 2023
My Fitness Journey With Cedric Bock
(15 lbs. of Muscle in 12 Weeks!?!)
The Spark·June 4, 2023
How I Multiply My Content
(Steal My Content Multiplication System)
The Spark·May 28, 2023
How to Craft Your Creator Backstory
(The Double Hero's Journey)
The Spark·May 21, 2023
How to Make Your First $1 Online (With Only Free Tools & An Email List)
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·May 14, 2023
The Path of The Storypreneur (How to Thrive In The Digital Age)
Whoever controls the narrative owns the world
The Spark·May 7, 2023
The Way of The Obsessed Individual (How to Discover Your Life's Work)
(how to discover your life's work)
The Spark·April 30, 2023
My Writing Process REVEALED (The Art of The Deep Dive Essay):
Write 100 deep dives, 99 are meh, 1 changes your life
The Spark·April 23, 2023
How to Become A Well-Paid Creator (99% of Creators Make This Mistake):
The STAR Blueprint
The Spark·April 16, 2023
Your Mind Is Under Attack (Here’s How to Fight Back):
Modern warfare isn't physical, it's mental.
The Spark·April 9, 2023
Why You Feel Stuck (How to Gain Clarity):
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” - Carl Jung
The Spark·April 2, 2023
The Lost Art of Being Alone (How to Make Progress on Your Goals)
“Your mind is a very strange thing. As soon as you give it an aim, a genuine aim, it’ll reconfigure the world in keeping that aim.” - Jordan B. Peterson
The Spark·March 26, 2023
Shallow Thinking Is Holding You Back
(How to Become a Deep Thinker)
The Spark·March 19, 2023
Take Control of Your Future
A Guide to Creating the Life You Want
The Spark·March 12, 2023
How to Start a Solo Writing Business As A Beginner In 2023
(Step-By-Step)
The Spark·March 5, 2023
How to "Future Proof" Yourself
The Bezos Rule
The Spark·February 26, 2023
The P2P Business Model
How to build your one-person business from scratch
The Spark·February 19, 2023
My SECRET to building a powerful personal brand
The 3 Pillars of Powerful Positioning
The Spark·February 12, 2023
The Rise of The Leveraged Individual
(A New Career Path)
The Spark·February 5, 2023
From idea → paid in 7 days
What I've learned from $4,546 in course sales
The Spark·January 29, 2023
My plan to build a $1M/yr one-person creator business
How to get paid to self-improve
The Spark·January 22, 2023
My Content System
An inside look at my Notion dashboard
The Spark·January 15, 2023
How I built a world-class network at 17
How to Build Relationships With High-Value People
The Spark·January 8, 2023
How I turned $0 and 2 weeks into $2,741
And 9 simple steps for you to do the same...
The Spark·January 1, 2023
The One-Person Business Blueprint
How to get paid to self improve...
The Spark·December 25, 2022
9 Lessons Learned in 2022:
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·December 18, 2022
I created a system for learning anything
💧 The DRIIP Method - How to Learn Any Skill
The Spark·December 11, 2022
The Foundational Skill
How to grow faster, earn respect, and make more money
The Spark·December 4, 2022
How to Stand Out On The Internet
And Position Yourself As a Value Creator
The Spark·November 27, 2022
🧠 The 3 Dimensions of Your Mind
Master these 3 and you'll be unstoppable
The Spark·November 20, 2022
The Most Powerful Emotion a Writer Can Evoke...
How to Cast Spells on Your Reader
The Spark·November 13, 2022
2 Simple Ways to Connect With Your Readers
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·November 6, 2022
The #1 Person You Should Study to Improve Your Writing...
(And it's not who you think it is)
The Spark·October 30, 2022
TCL #2 - Starting Over From Scratch...
And the future of this newsletter?
The Spark·October 23, 2022
TCL #1 - Learn This Skill If You Want to Thrive as a Creator
And it's not what you may think it is...
The Spark·October 16, 2022
👨🏻🎓 031 - Tactical stress, micro commitments, and raising your LPM
And a big announcement?
The Spark·October 9, 2022
👨🏻🎓 030 - The artist’s lens, self-education, and entitled people 🔍
3 marketing tips, 2 favorite quotes, 1 short story to consider this week.
The Spark·October 2, 2022
👨🏻🎓 029 - How Studying Philosophy and Comedy Will Make You a Better Storyteller 📚
An essay by Jay Yang from The Spark.
The Spark·September 25, 2022
🤭 028 - Potty mouth, choice overload, and future pacing
3 marketing tips, 2 favorite quotes, 1 short story to consider this week.
The Spark·September 18, 2022
027 - Living in a state of ‘why’, the nostalgia effect, and an empty stomach
3 marketing tips, 2 favorite quotes, 1 short story to consider this week.
The Spark·September 11, 2022
😂 026 - Feeling overwhelmed, the humor effect, and opposable thumbs
3 marketing tips. 2 favorite quotes. 1 short story. Every Sunday.
The Spark·September 4, 2022
🥊 025 - Creating curiosity, rhetorical questions, and Conor McGregor?
3 marketing tips, 2 favorite quotes, 1 short story to consider this week.