It's my birthday (next week)

It’s hot. Cramped. Stuffy. There’s a baby crying its head off behind me. I’m sitting between two larger people. The person in front of me pushed their seat into my face. I forgot to fill my water bottle. My bag doesn’t fit under my seat, so it’s between my legs right now.

And yet, amongst all the angst and inconvenience, I am happy. We’re ~15,000 feet in the air now and I just looked out the window. Gosh, the clouds are so pretty.

It’s my birthday next week. I turn 21. Every year, I like to block off time to reflect on my learnings from the past rotation on Earth. After all, if we don’t reflect and course correct, how do we know whether we’re still on the right track?

I’m happy because after sitting here trying to think of my top lessons, the #1 most overwhelming feeling that I’m feeling is gratitude. Let me explain. I just spent the last 9 days in Miami with my cofounder. In 9 days we:

• Built a new business from scratch ($165k contracted)

• Created an entire CRM & fulfillment workflow

• Signed a huge brand whose product we use daily

• Created a new funnel

• Met new friends and played padel

• Did an in-person podcast

• Ate 32 ribeye tacos

• Went on a lot of long walks

Are you kidding me? How is this my life?

Most of all, I’m grateful for my younger self and all the work he put in. See, let me tell you a bit about 15-year-old Jay. This kid was the most hungry, ambitious, dissatisfied kid you’ll ever meet.

For a long time, he felt lonely, lost, different than everyone else around him. But rather than bottling up those emotions, he channeled them. He found people who were living the life he aspired to live, then reverse engineered the actions they took so he could replicate them.

He saw James Clear writing online → so he started writing online.
He saw Noah Kagan building businesses → so he got into entrepreneurship.
He saw Dan Koe lifting weights → so he started lifting his dad’s old orange 10 lb dumbbells.

Shoutout my twin brother Max for always being my backbone

And now? Holy sh*t, I’m living my literal dream life as a result.

60,000 tweets. 5 years of newsletters. Hundreds of Zoom calls. 3 apprenticeships. Many 4am wakeups. Thousands of dollars on courses & mentorships. Years of uncertainty, doubt, feeling like an outsider.

How did that skinny kid curling orange dumbells go to being in rooms with Gary Vee?!?

So what’s the lesson? I guess it’s just really cool to see the compounding effects of the work you put in. For the longest time I didn’t know if it would pay off. If you’re in your lonely season, keep going. Stay in the game.

Few things will give you more confidence than setting an ambitious goal and watching yourself achieve it.

YOU CAN JUST DO THINGS!

~~

OK, rereading that reflection, it makes it sound like I’ve “made it.” And while it’s true I’m blessed to be in a position where more money wouldn’t change how I spend my time, I don’t think I’m even remotely close to where I can and want to be.

In fact, ironically, I think I’ve only gotten more ambitious. So what’s next? I’ll tell ya in a second, but first, a few lessons from the past year.

• If your success looks good to the world but feels bad to you, then it’s not success at all.

• True riches are not iron or gold, but having a home you want to return to and people who want you home.

• Apprenticeship is one of the few career slingshots that still exists.

• As the island of your knowledge grows, so too does the shore of your ignorance.

• The fire of envy only leaves the ashes of emptiness.

• Be easy to work with and hard to compete against.

• Real success is how many people thank you for theirs.

• Business is hard, but if you constantly feel like you’re fighting uphill, you’re probably working on the wrong thing.

• Your success is largely dependent on how many people you can text to solve a problem.

• A good life is the collective sum of as many good days lived in a row as possible.

• Get good at a valuable skill. Everything else is secondary.

• You can win in the material world and still feel empty if you haven’t resolved your inner traumas.

• One of the most ambitious things you can do is define the limits of your ambition.

• Before trying to make passive income, go make massive income. It’s much easier to make money when you have money.

• The best time to build an audience is long before you need it.

• Winners win. Winning is a mindset. It’s a choice.

• Avoid the unhappy, pessimistic, and unlucky. Their beliefs are often self-fulfilling prophecies.

• If I repeated this action for the next 100 days, would I be closer or further from my goals?

• If someone watched me for a week, would they believe I’m serious about my goals?

• The curse of speed is that velocity becomes more important. AI can help you get more done; be sure it’s the right stuff done.

• In an age of infinite leverage, judgment & decision-making become more important.

• The simplest way to make better decisions is to write down the problem you’re trying to solve and future-pace the second-order effects of each path.

• If you can think, write, and speak well, you are dangerous.

• The best way to predict the future is to study the past, for history doesn’t repeat itself, but human nature always does.

• Ideas are never owned, only rented. If you don’t do something with one, it’ll be given to someone else who will.

• Success is not a magical list nobody knows. It’s an obvious list nobody does.

• Remember to enjoy the view before you climb the next mountain.

• Remember you stood in line to get on the rollercoaster. Don’t be surprised when there are ups & downs.

• Ask yourself: What do I want? What inputs increase the likelihood I get the output I want?

• Who brings out the best in me?

• Who could I introduce to others as a great example of my values & character traits?

• You don’t want freedom for freedom’s sake. You want freedom to choose what to commit to.

• If you commit to nothing, you’ll be distracted by everything.

• If you are consistent, you may not win. If you aren’t consistent, you definitely won’t win.

• You feel overwhelmed because you’re entertaining every thought. You’re entertaining every thought because you don’t have a North Star to filter your decisions through.

• It’s hard to live a big life in a small environment.

• Shrinking yourself to fit in is the fastest way to be liked by everyone and respected by no one.

• No amount of praise or affirmation can replace the confidence that comes from knowing you have the ability to make shit happen even when the conditions aren’t ideal.

• The best way to run faster is to run more.

• Sometimes the best copy to sell a horse is: “Horse for sale.”

• I am here to cross the swamp, not fight all the alligators.

• There is no greater waste of time than arguing with strangers on the internet.

• You chase fame because you want money. You chase money because you want love.

• You can start many businesses, but you only get one reputation.

• When you think of someone, text them.

• If you lack motivation, strive to become a person worthy of your (future) children’s admiration.

• Money is not evil. It’s an amplifier. Bad + money = more bad.

• A man’s duty is to provide and protect.

• Automate only the skills you’re willing to lose.

• Your 9–5 is for your job. Your 5–9 is for your career.

• When the thoughts in your head feel big, go experience nature where you feel small.

Woof. That was a lot. And I’m sure I missed a bunch. Can you tell I like quotes? Lol.

What’s next for me?

Said as concisely as possible: I want to live an awesome life and inspire people.

Here’s the pact I made with my cofounder:

Nuff said. How cool would it be to watch me grow up and achieve all of those things?

How cool would it be for you to join me?

Why not?

What’s a goal that both excites and scares you?

Write it down.

Reply to this email.

Save it as your wallpaper.

Then, let’s you and me, relentlessly get after it.

You in? 🤝

Until next week,

Jay “Humble & Hungry” Yang

Author of You Can Just Do Things & Work With The Best

Ps. Reminder

Noah Kagan on ambition vs. slowing down:

"So many people work towards something and when they get there, they just keep on working. It’s like finishing a marathon and immediately starting another one without pausing to recharge, celebrate, and think about what you really want next."

Sam Parr on the power of conviction:

"People are drawn to those who passionately point to their goals and say, ‘This is where I'm going. I'm going with or without you. But I sure would love if you came along.’”

Far too many people conflate age with wisdom.

I know many 50 year olds with the maturity of a 20 year old because they live the same year over and over again without ever reflecting, introspecting, or acting with intention.

Do they have the life that I want? > How old are they?

If you feel lost, get more specific.

Why do you feel lost?

1. No target - can't say what you're moving toward.
2. No feedback - can't tell if today was a win.
3. No next action - can't name the next step.
4. Too many open options - nothing chosen, so nothing compounds.

Friendly reminder that the world isn’t waiting to give you permission. The opportunities you want won’t come from thinking hard or manifesting them.

If you want an opportunity, you have to go out and take it.

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