What to do when you feel upset

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3 Thoughts

I.

Hot take: Showing up is not enough. You can't just show up to the gym and expect to get gains. You can't just show up on every platform and expect to grow an audience. You can't just show up to games and expect to outperform the competition. Outsized returns come from outsized effort.

II.

A good life is largely about what you avoid. The fights you don’t have. The illnesses you don’t contract. The mistakes you don’t make. Wisdom is prevention.

III.

Early career advice: Work harder than you think you can. First, because the more you work, the more context you get, the faster you catch up to speed. Second, because the harder you work the more you increase your capacity to work hard. Just like in cross country, the more miles you run, the more miles you can run.

2 Quotes

I.

“A business has two scoreboards:

1. The money it makes
2. The life it gives you

Most people only look at the first.

The second one matters more.”

— Justin Welsh

II.

“People keep scrolling to hide from their own thoughts. You can’t see your reflection in running water, or in a running feed.”

— Gurwinder

1 Game-Changing Idea: The Insulted Monk

An old monk and his young student were walking along a dusty mountain path when they came upon a merchant whose cart had broken down. The monk stopped to help repair the wheel, and as he worked, the merchant grew increasingly agitated.

"You call yourself a holy man, but look how clumsy you are!" the merchant shouted. "You're making it worse! You monks are all frauds, living off the charity of others while pretending to be wise!"

The student's face flushed with anger. He stepped forward to defend his master, but the monk gently raised his hand to stop him. The monk continued working in silence, his expression unchanged.

The merchant's insults grew louder and more cutting. "You're a fool! A pretender! You know nothing of real work or real wisdom!"

When the wheel was finally repaired, the monk stood and dusted off his hands. He turned to the merchant with calm eyes.

"Tell me," the monk said quietly, "if someone offers you a basket of rotting fish, and you refuse to take it, who must carry the stench home?"

The merchant paused, confused. "Well... the one who brought it, of course."

"Just so," the monk replied. "Your harsh words are a gift I choose not to accept. Therefore, they remain with you."

The monk bowed slightly and continued down the path. His student hurried after him, and when they had walked some distance, the young man asked, "Master, how could you remain so peaceful when he spoke to you that way?"

The old monk smiled. "When rain falls, we cannot stop it from falling. We can only choose whether to stand in it and become soaked, or to seek shelter. His anger was the rain. I simply chose not to stand in it."

Behind them, the merchant stood alone on the road, still holding his basket of anger with no one left to give it to.

Until next week,
Jay “Not All Gifts Must Be Accepted” Yang

Ps. You can’t hide from them.

Pps. A photo dump of my life of the last few months.

Kind words for ‘You Can Just Do Things’

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