When You Think You've Run Out Of Options, Do This | Jay Shetty

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Oct 4, 2025

Jay Shetty shares his journey from a monastery, illustrating how starting from scratch can empower growth. He discusses the misconception that success depends solely on circumstances, emphasizing that embracing the unknown opens up possibilities. By encouraging listeners to 'open every door,' he highlights that true creativity arises when we reject the notion of limited options. Shetty's insights challenge the fear of criticism, urging everyone to explore paths less traveled for greater fulfillment.

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ANECDOTE

Monk To Maker

Jay Shetty left the ashram with no financial support and had to build life skills, network, and career from zero.
He contrasts his trajectory with friends who inherited wealth but never found careers to show environment isn't destiny.

INSIGHT

Choice Trumps Circumstance

Environment plants seeds but doesn't determine your outcome; choice and action shape your life more.
Accepting that you have options creates the possibility of change and escape from stuckness.

INSIGHT

Push Past The Obvious

Creative breakthroughs usually appear after the obvious ideas; push beyond the first ten thoughts.
Edison reminds us that when you think you've exhausted options, you likely haven't.

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"Your role should be to open up every door possible. Let the world close the doors, and walk through the ones that remain open." - Jay Shetty

Jay Shetty walked out of a monastery with nothing—no family wealth, no safety net, no backup plan. While his friends inherited property portfolios and BMWs, he had to scratch and claw his way into building a life from zero. But here's what blew his mind: those same friends with everything handed to them? Many never found careers. Never found purpose. Some are still searching. Meanwhile, Jay's emptiness became his greatest advantage. When you have no choice but to figure it out, you develop a different muscle—one that transforms limitation into possibility. His spiritual mentor told him something years ago that changed everything: stop trying to pick the "right" door. Your job is to open as many doors as possible and walk through the ones the world doesn't close. Most of us stare at two options, paralyzed by the illusion that life is binary. But Jay's learned from watching monks and millionaires alike that the people who thrive aren't the ones with the best circumstances—they're the ones who refuse to believe they've run out of options.

This conversation cuts through the myth that your environment determines your destiny. Jay shares the Edison wisdom that haunts him in the best way: "When you believe you've exhausted all options, remember this—you haven't." It's not about the first ten ideas your mind generates (those are always the obvious ones). It's about pushing past that initial resistance to idea eleven, twelve, twenty—where real innovation lives. Whether you came from abundance or scarcity, had supportive parents or toxic ones, grew up in paradise or a wasteland, Jay's message lands the same: you have way more influence over your life than you think. The moment you accept that truth, even if you don't fully believe it yet, you create a crack in the wall—and that's all you need to start breaking through.

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