What to do when things don't go your way

3 Thoughts

I.

Nobody tries anymore and it's the greatest opportunity of your lifetime.

Everyone's putting themselves in boxes. Being realistic. Following rules they made up in their heads. Meanwhile, you can just... not.

Send the email everyone's too scared to send.
Start the project that "doesn't make sense."
Move faster than anyone thinks is sustainable.

They'll say you're doing too much. That you'll burn out. That you're being risky. Let them talk from the sidelines.

The bar is on the floor. Everyone's so worried about looking stupid that they've forgotten about their dreams. People convinced themselves that living small is the standard. But you? You can just decide it's not.

You can just do things.

II.

The best things in life can’t be measured.

A family who loves you.
Friends who make life lighter.
A calm mind at the end of the day.
A body that feels strong, capable, alive.
Knowledge that quietly compounds over time.
The impact you leave on others, even in ways you’ll never see.

Not everything that matters can be measured. And not everything that can be measured matters.

III.

To learn about others, read.

To learn about yourself, write.

2 Quotes

I.

J. Paul Getty was the richest man in the world. This was his main advice to younger entrepreneurs:

“You’re too focused on speculating and trading. The best entrepreneurs don’t want to trade, they want to own. They know all the real money is in the long term. Most people are too impatient and incompetent to understand that. An example he uses in the book: a young man buys an oil lease on Monday for $4,000. He sells it to Getty on Tuesday for $8,000. The young man is bragging about doubling his money in 24 hours. Getty makes $800,000 on that lease over the next decade.”

Source: Founders Podcast

II.

“What’s the point of making all this money if you rush through workouts, can’t take a day off without guilt eating you alive, don’t go home for the holidays, forgot how you feel, ‘friends’ are just networking contacts, have no hobbies, forgot what joy feels like outside of metrics, work through sickness, check Slack during dinner, keep growing revenue but feel emptier every quarter, haven’t laughed in weeks, see your parents once a year, forgot your little cousin’s name, can’t remember the last time you read something that wasn’t ‘for growth’, or looked in the mirror without seeing a to-do list?

You start counting hours by how much money you made. You see every interaction as a transaction. Rest starts feeling like failure. Stillness makes you anxious. You monetize every breath and wonder why you can’t breathe.

That’s not freedom, that’s a prettier prison. Hustle culture sold you the grind, but forgot to mention the cost: your joy, your peace, your soul.”

Source: Namya

1 Game-Changing Idea: The King’s Ring

A powerful king ruled over a vast and wealthy kingdom. He had everything - armies, palaces, gold - but his moods ruled him. When things went well, he became arrogant. When things went wrong, he collapsed into despair.

One day, he summoned the wisest men in his court.

“I want a ring,” he said, “that will bring me peace. Something that will make me feel better when I’m suffering… and keep me grounded when I’m flying too high.”

The men went off and returned weeks later with a simple gold band. The king turned it over in his hand, unimpressed.

Then he saw the inscription:

“This too shall pass.”

He frowned. “That’s it?”

The eldest advisor nodded. “When you lose a battle, read it. When you win one, read it again. When you are celebrating, remember it. When you are grieving, remember it. Nothing is permanent. Not your victories. Not your failures. Not your emotions.”

The king waved them off, unconvinced.

But weeks later, when his army was ambushed and half his men were lost, he sat in silence and looked at the ring.

This too shall pass.

Months later, when a festival was thrown in his honor after a great victory, he looked at the ring again.

This too shall pass.

Over time, he stopped chasing the highs. Stopped fearing the lows. He stopped needing more.

And for the first time, he ruled - not from emotion - but from clarity.

Until next week,
Jay “This Too Shall Pass” Yang

Ps. Napkins

Kind words for ‘You Can Just Do Things’

“The best thing about this book, is I could confidently give it to my 12 year old cousin or 86 year old grandma and know that both could get just as much out of it.” 🙏

You can grab your copy here.

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