I’m a huge fan of Gary Vaynerchuk. The guy tells it like it is, works hard, is hugely successful, and you can tell he genuinely doesn’t care what people think of him. One of the reasons I like him so much is because, self-admittedly, he’s not some kind of wunderkind genius. He’s not like a Zuckerberg or a Jobs. He created his wealth and business by 1) hustling harder than anyone around him, and 2) reverse engineering the successes of the companies he wanted to emulate.
The son of Russian immigrants, he first made it big when at the age of 21 his father turned over the reigns of the family’s local liquor store. Gary grew it from a $3 million to a $50 million business in just a few years. A huge part of that success was the creation of Wine Library TV.
The success of that YouTube channel lead to million dollar books deals and his formation of Vayner Media, a social media and branding consultancy, now 500 people strong.
Gary has been putting out a series of short inspirational videos consisting of excerpts from various interviews, vlogs, and speaking engagements he’s done. I first posted his “1>0” video as a Saturday Matinee a few weeks ago. Today I offer you another one: “Self Awareness.”
In this Gary Vaynerchuk original, he insists that even more important than hustling (which he says is the most important word ever), is for you to be self-aware. Being self-aware allows you to focus on your strengths and stop wasting time on your weaknesses. Being self-aware allows you to stop dreaming about what never can be, and start creating realities around what’s truly meant to be. Find the people who can fill in your gaps; then go all-in on what you do best.
Don’t be surprised if future installments of Saturday Matinee are Gary Vee-deos. 😉
I frankly often find Gary V a bit over-the-top and annoying in style and delivery, but this was inspiring.
Ha. He’d probably be the first one to agree with you. 🙂