“Pick your 4-minute mile and then make it happen. Taking on the impossible is the single greatest way to find completely open territory.” - Jared Yellin
About three years ago, Grant Cardone, a billionaire real estate investor and one of the top entrepreneurial influencers in history, made an investment in one of my companies. Grant has a very polarizing way about him; many love’em, and many hate’em. Prior to going to the meeting, which led to his investment, I was not sure which side of the continuum I would reside on. His style was a bit much for me, but I did respect his accomplishments. After that initial meeting, I had the deepest level of respect for him because I was able to see him as a father, husband, and leader in his organization. Needless to say – I was impressed, to say the least!
There was no agenda for our initial meeting - Grant heard what I was doing - my moonshot and said I was “crazy or onto something,” and he wanted to meet me. As I sat in his office for nearly three hours and shared my backstory and what I was currently committed to – he asked to get involved.
Many people have wondered, “What did Jared say to Grant to have him invest,” and the “what I said” is not the reason for his interest and commitment. Rather, it's the fact that I was doing this with or without him, and he could not do it without me (Build, Scale, Exit 10,000+ tech companies!).
I share this story because it’s the perfect representation of why declaring and then running your 4-minute mile is the single greatest way to level the playing field and have the “untouchable” approach you to get involved.
But the story of Grant gets even more interesting post-investment because I began speaking on many of his 10X stages, and during one of them, Grant did a quick survey where he asked each of the partners or Founders of businesses he was involved with to share the valuation each of us believed our company would achieve.
Company 1: $10 billion
Company 2: $2 billion
Company 3: $1 billion
And then it was my turn…
JY: “Grant, I told you this will be the biggest thing you have ever done.”
GC: “Just answer the question, Jared, what valuation do you believe you will hit?”
JY: “$1 trillion!””
GC: “Come’on Jared – get back to earth.”
JY: “No, Grant, come to the moon.”
The dollar amount is not relevant, but what is a necessity is the ambition backed by the seismic action.
I have zero qualms with casting a vision that makes others sweat, squirm, and question. I am not here to speak about what’s possible but rather to prove possibilities.
As a result, some people roll their eyes, others will do anything to get involved, some will try to get in my way, and others will provide boundless support.
The naysayers – motivate me.
The supporters – help me.
Both play a significant role in my ability to actualize my ambition.
AND
Both will play a significant role in your ability to actualize your ambition as well.
But the key is this…
NEVER feel silly when you cast your ambition.
NEVER listen to someone who does not have what you want.
NEVER give one bad day more significance than it actually is.
NEVER look for warning signs and instead accept challenges.
NEVER back down even when your internal voice is leading you to believe you can’t.
NEVER shy away from asking for help and support.
The NEVER list could go deep, but I believe you get the point of what you should NEVER do, and now that you are clear, let’s delve deep into the 7 ways to do what others don’t even think to do.
7 Ways To Achieve The Improbable + Seemingly Impossible
1. What matters to you enough to face ridicule, hate, smearing, and pain?
Doing what has NEVER been done is going to be riddled with discomfort for you.
Take it from me…
I wake up…
Eat lunch…
Go to sleep…
Feeling discomfort.
I question whether I have what it takes.
I question if I can pull it off.
I question how far I have come.
I question when my time will come.
But guess what…
ALL of the ridicule, hate, smearing, pain, discomfort, unknown, uncertainty, and doubt, is 100000000000% worth it for the slightest chance that I actually pull off my ambition, which will…
Eliminate pain, suffering, depression, addiction, divorce, and suicidal thoughts in early-stage entrepreneurship.
What you must realize is that your ambition is DEFINITELY FOR YOU - don’t let anyone tell you otherwise - but it's also for MANY MANY people beyond just you.
Your motivation must be self-serving AND selfless at the same time, which sounds manic and crazy, but that’s just what it takes to achieve the improbable and seemingly impossible.
And every moment of discomfort is a sign that I am onto something because someone before us has tried and when they faced that feeling that did not settle well - they bounced - I just won’t.
So, in order for you to go after the ambition that makes others sweat and you queasy – you must choose something that is important enough to YOU that allows you to overcome any feeling that emerges for the remainder of your life.
This is VERY serious work - definitely not for everyone - but possibly for you.
And – I know it's for me.
2. Make your outcome life or death.
What do you care about more than anything else in the world?
Your child/children?
Your pet?
Your spouse?
Your sibling?
Your parent?
Pick one…
But it must be the one you truly care more about than anyone else.
Now, picture this person standing on a train track, and they don’t realize a train is coming at 110 MPH.
They don’t see it.
They won’t have time to react to it.
They are in danger.
What do you do?
Here’s what I know you won’t do…
1 - Perseverate
2 - Write down a plan
3 - Phone a friend
4 - Asked for permission
But what you will do is WHATEVER IT TAKES to save their life.
I am sure you have heard stories of a parent whose child was stuck under a truck, and they somehow gained the strength to physically move the truck, and they can’t even recall what went on in their mind at that moment.
The same premise must exist for your ambition.
You need to start making life-or-death decisions, which means THINK LESS – ACT MORE!
There has NEVER been anyone who created sustainable change who…
1 - Perseverated
2 - Wrote down a plan
3 - Phoned a friend
4 - Asked for permission
This might be when you bail on your ambition - which is perfectly fine - but I am just being VERY real with you.
The ONLY way your ambition becomes even a remote chance is if you make it life or death.
3. Speak about what you will achieve incessantly.
Did anyone ever tell you NOT to talk about what you were going to do until it was done?
I can assure you this person has very little to show for their life.
I say this with ZERO disrespect AT ALL but rather with historical data.
EVERY sustainable change that you and I can’t live without is man or woman made by someone just like you or me, and EVERY sustainable change that you and I can’t live without started as a spoken vision with such conviction and perseverance that the world began to believe it was already a reality even before it was achieved.
I talk about what I will do INCESSANTLY, and YES, it puts me centerstage to completely “SH** the bed,” but I want the pressure, attention, critics, and fans.
Even recently, someone asked me how many companies are in our portfolio, and when I told them, they said, “I felt you would have more at this point.”
My response…
“You can keep track of me from the sidelines while I’m on the field winning.”
I did not say this with arrogance - rather - with a lesson.
People who criticize you – can’t even step into your shoes.
People who challenge you – can’t find a more productive way to surpass you.
People who doubt you – can’t even conceptualize what you are about to do.
You must boldly, audaciously, and consistently declare what you will achieve and then back your words with at least 20x the action.
4. AND versus OR.
Mediocre people live what I refer to as an OR life…
I can do this OR this…
I can have this OR this…
I can want this OR this…
I call this sacrifice, compromise, and lack – all things I don’t do and have no space for in my world.
The legends who have moved our world forward in a sustainable way have the same number of hours you have, way more responsibilities, significantly more pressure, and yet – they always ADD through AND….
I can do this AND this…
I can have this AND this…
I can want this AND this…
They find ways to hack capacity so it almost appears as if they have limitless bandwidth when, in reality, they know that they have no choice but to create limitless bandwidth because their ambitions are so utterly significant that they would fall short otherwise.
5. Extrovert when everything inside is attempting to make you introvert.
I used to remind myself to do the exact opposite of my internal limiting belief voice, but now it’s second nature to me.
One area where the opposite REALLY matters is when you are faced with something challenging on your road to sustainable change for the world, and you are succumbing to the challenge - meaning - the challenge is defeating you.
When everything inside tells you to INTROVERT, hide, bunker down, take it easy, and stress less - you must do the EXACT opposite and EXTROVERT with intentional recklessness.
Get on camera…
Call someone out…
Go in for the sale…
Walk away from an opportunity…
Do whatever it takes to show your mind who’s boss – YOU!
Whenever I am not feeling well, and my mind is telling me to take a day off from the gym to “take it easy,” I end up working out harder than I would have otherwise because…
I AM THE BOSS OVER MY LIMITING BELIEFS, and the same holds true for you.
YOU are the boss over your critics.
YOU are the boss over your naysayers.
YOU are the boss over yourself.
Pump your chest out…
Get into state…
Declare an outcome…
Execute non-stop…
And take back the reins – immediately!
6. Become intolerant of mediocrity and step into unreasonable.
Some people who are really close to me have said that my intolerance for “normal” people is an issue, and I just don’t see it that way – AT ALL.
I am here to create solutions (SaaS platforms) to transform the existence of the “normal” people.
I want the “normal people” to have more freedom…
I want the “normal people” to have more time…
I want the “normal people” to have more money…
I want the “normal people” to have more life experiences…
BUT
I don’t want to work with normal people unless they can pace with my ambition.
I am completely unreasonable when it comes to excuses.
I am completely unreasonable when it comes to pointing fingers.
I am completely unreasonable when it comes to falling short.
I am completely unreasonable when it comes to lying.
I am completely unreasonable when it comes to what I expect to get done, and while also never compromising what matters most (family, health, god, etc.)
PLEASE realize – you can want to help someone but NOT want to work with the same someone because if you choose to work with the same someone, they will become an anchor that slows down your ability to realize your ambition.
Build a solution for this someone…
Don’t work with them.
TRUST ME!
7. Hold on and never let go.
The reason so few people have sustainably changed the world is because the others who attempted just did not hold on long enough.
It could have been circumstantial…
It could have been the lack of resources…
It could have been pain tolerance…
It could have been more money elsewhere.
I am not here to judge but what I am here to do is remind you that the ONLY way you achieve your ambition is if you hold on and never let go until you arrive.
This is easier said than done, but it must get done if you expect to have your ambition get done, too.
Now What?
Don’t be pumped up.
Don’t be inspired.
Don’t start pounding your chest.
Don’t be that person who reads one article and then declares everything about their life will change, and then less than one day later, they are back to their normal self.
I did not write this to motivate you to find something within that has been dormant or non-existent.
But I did write this article as a reminder for myself.
My life would be significantly easier if I were not so damn ambitious.
Why do I think I can do what has never been done before…?!?!
Eliminate pain, suffering, depression, addiction, divorce, and suicidal thoughts in early-stage entrepreneurship, initially SaaS, by building an operating system that is a predictable path to product-market fit, capital efficient scale, and then exit.
AND
Who am I to think I can do this over 10,000 times in my life…
But what I have realized is this…
The more ambitious you are…
The more aggressive you are…
The more unreasonable you are…
The less you have to overcome.
Because so few people make it to the top of the top of the top of catalzying change, and those who are up there are fanatical supporters of one another.
Some might think it’s lonely to try and do what’s never been done, but take it from me – I have never felt more supported as I pursue the improbable and seemingly impossible.
So the “now what” for you is this…
Doubt me or celebrate me – I don’t care.
AND
Doubt you or celebrate you – you don’t care.
The point of this article is for you to realize that if you have perceived your ambition as an undesirable characteristic – harness it, use it, pursue it, and get after it.
Take my word for it…
The world DOES NOT need another mediocre person who suppresses their greatness.
Let’s do this!
Live with Intention,
