I was a video game–addicted, overweight kid with zero self-belief.

Now I'm a Google engineer, a creator with a 25k+ audience, a runner who has run a marathon in 3:09, and a lifter who has broken the 1000lb club. Most importantly, I now finally believe in myself.

I’m not saying this to flex or to try to convert you into the school of Jim Tang-ism. I’m saying this because I want to frame the upcoming conversation. If you’re in the middle of a major life change, or on the edge of starting one, this edition of Escape Velocity Newsletter will walk you through the process of relaunching your life.

The Hole I Dug

I wasn’t born with discipline. Or confidence. Or even basic life hygiene.

In early life, I fried my reward system early with video games, pornography, junk food, and escapism.

This was a normal day in high school for me: I'd grab a family-size bag of Lays BBQ chips and a full bag of Trolli sour gummy worms and disappear into League of Legends until 1am. After that: hours of anime and YouTube in bed, then four hours of sleep before stumbling through school.

I was overweight and anxious. I avoided speaking. I felt insecure about how I looked. Shame dictated my personality, my self-esteem, my entire reality.

Over those years, I tried everything:

• Quitting video games cold turkey
• Crash dieting on chicken breast and salad
• Binging self-help content without action

Each attempt failed. I’d either do nothing or make progress just to slip back. Years later, I finally understood why.

Why 95% of Transformations Fail

According to a study by Richard Wiseman, 88% of New Year’s resolutions fail within two weeks. I’d estimate the long-term failure rate is likely 95%+.

Why? Based on my own lived experience, two main reasons:

1. You Want a Guarantee, So You Don't Start

Change requires giving something up. And we’re afraid of sacrificing without certainty of payoff.

So we delay action until the “perfect moment”. New Year. Birthday. After this project. When things settle down. Almost like we’re looking for permission.

But waiting is the trap. Even when conditions are ideal, people still fail.

If there were guarantees, you’d already have what you want.

2. You See Change as Temporary, So You Regress

Most people treat change like a season. A sprint. A diet. Like putting on a costume until you're ready to take it off. Something you try until you can go back to “normal” with an upgrade.

I did this:

• Quit games to gain financial freedom, just to one day go back to gaming
• Got fit to binge junk food without shame
• Left Google to make more money by working less

Each time, I failed. Until I accepted that real change is permanent - it’s not a costume. The moment I was ready to give up video games forever is when I let them go.

Change is a shedding of identity. With no promise of what replaces it.

Everything worth having in life requires confronting uncertainty.

How to Actually Change Your Life

Before you act, it's essential to figure out your direction.

Step 0) Define Your Core Values

Define your 3 core values (ChatGPT is surprisingly good at helping with this). These will guide your decisions during uncertainty and doubt.

My 3 core values:

• Self-actualization
• Truth-seeking
• Freedom/autonomy

If you look at my major decisions -joining Google, quitting Google, chasing fitness, creating content- they all ladder up to those values.

Your life’s vision comes from knowing your values.

Once you've established your values, you're ready to begin relaunching your life step-by-step.

Step 1: Focus on One Thing

When looking back at all my transformations, there is a common thread that led to my success each time:

They were all preceded by relentlessly tunnel visioning on a singular goal. Not by multitasking.

When I targeted Big Tech, I did it because it would unlock everything:

• Faster financial security
• Afford better gyms, nutrition, and doctors
• Credibility for all future ventures

Identify the single goal that unlocks the next version of you. Write it down. What would your life look like if you never tried? If you tried and failed? If you succeeded?

Once you’ve named it and evaluated the cost-benefit, ask yourself: Can I afford not to pursue this? If the answer is no, then it’s time to go all in.

Step 2: Create Stakes

The other common thread in all my transformations was accountability.

Change sticks when there’s something to lose.

I applied to jobs instead of endlessly prepping. I trained for races instead of just running. I announced my 50-day challenge instead of keeping it private.

Real stakes accelerate growth. Especially when they scare you.

If you're up for a challenge, documenting your journey online is a cheat code to personal growth. Failing publicly scares me. That’s why I’ve been able to work the way I have these past 43 days. Negativity bias is real.

Step 3: Don't Just Do. Become.

The last common thread is that every transformation consisted of an identity shift.

When I landed five tech job offers, it was because I made job hunting my new full-time job. When I became a runner, it was because I ran every day (except Sunday). Right now I post every day and write this newsletter every week.

Shift your identity from someone who is trying said thing into becoming someone who simply does said thing.

To do this, I recommend one non-negotiable action every day to get the action-identity flywheel spinning.

Daily Action → Identity Reinforcement → Daily Action → Identity Reinforcement

Until this daily habit and identity become locked in place, you may live an “unbalanced” life for a while. That’s a feature, not a bug. When I was running, my life was dictated by it - weather, races, training plans, etc. Balance comes after transformation. Not before.

Once your new identity is internalized, you will have learned the necessary skills to keep the flywheel going on autopilot. That's when you can rebalance and start on a new goal.

How Long Does it Take?

If you truly dedicate yourself, change comes faster than you think.

For some reason, 5 months seems to be the sweet spot for me. It took me

• 5 months to job hunt and land my job at Google.
• 5 months to run my first half marathon, work through therapy, and quit video games.
• 5 more months to run my first marathon, plan my escape from Google, and take my first steps out.

We all have different starting points. I was in a deep hole of despair. Maybe you're in a better place. Maybe you're even deeper. Regardless, I promise you if you give yourself just 5 months of honest effort, you can relaunch your life.

If you compound this level of change over two years you will become unrecognizable.

Look Forward to Failure

We all want the Rocky montage moment where we turn our lives around in one fell-swoop. That simply does not happen.

But failure is not the enemy. Inaction is.

You will fail. You will doubt. You will relapse. But you now know the difference between necessary failure (growth) and avoidable failure (hedging, hesitation, paralysis).

Failing means you're moving. If failure hurts, then you actually care about what you're doing. Above all else, failing means you still have more journey left to enjoy.

I look forward to your failures and successes alike.

See you next week, Jim

P.S. If you’re seeking a big life change, but uncertainty is holding you back, I get it.

Here are some ways I might be able to help you:

• The Job Offer System – A free guide based on how I landed offers from Google, Amazon, and more.
• The Escape Plan – My free blueprint for leaving corporate with clarity.