Failure as feedback and persistence

What if the biggest barrier between you and your dreams isn't talent, connections, or luck— but simply the belief that you need permission to act? Jay Yang joins Infinite Loops to challenge one of the most limiting assumptions of our time: that opportunities must be handed to us rather than created by us.

At just 16, Jay cold-emailed the CEO of Beehiiv with a concrete plan that led to an internship. At 17, he sent Noah Kagan a 19-page audit of his email funnel with ready-to-ship assets, ultimately becoming head of content and helping put "Million Dollar Weekend" on the New York Times bestseller list. His secret? Understanding that preparation beats bravado, that most doors don't even have locks, and that the fastest way to get what you want is to do the work upfront and make saying "yes" a no-brainer for others.

This conversation dives deep into Jay's philosophy of permissionless action, exploring why most people accept the "standard pace" when there's actually no speed limit, how to reprogram limiting beliefs through small wins, and why high agency people focus on outputs while low agency people get trapped tracking inputs.

I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!”, check out our Substack.

Important Links:

• Jay Yang's website
• Jay Yang's X
• Jay Yang's Instagram
• Jay Yang's Book, You Can Just Do Things
• Jay Yang's LinkedIn

Show Notes:

• The Philosophy of Permissionless Action
• Breaking Free from Era-Defining Ideas
• Overcoming Limiting Beliefs
• Starting Small: Building Confidence Through Micro-Actions
• Inner vs. Outer Orientation
• Inputs vs. Outputs: The Agency Divide
• Failure as Feedback
• The Power of Persistence
• Curiosity and Cognitive Diversity
• AI and the Future of Work
• The Busy-ness Trap
• Signal vs. Noise in the AI Era
• People You Learn From Don't Have Huge Following
• The TAG Method Explained
• The New Way of Hiring
• Learning from the Greats
• Motivation vs. Clarity
• Jay’s North Star and Anti-Goals
• Viktor Frankl and Finding Your Why
• Working in Public
• The Second Book Preview
• The Emperor Question
• Closing & Contact Information

Books Mentioned:

1. You Can Just Do Things: The Power of Permissionless Actions (Jay Yang)
2. Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan
3. The Tao of Kobe (forthcoming 2026, Jimmy Soni)
4. Greatness Cannot Be Planned (Ken Stanley)
5. Man's Search for Meaning (Viktor Frankl)