10 SUPER Important LifeHacks I learned from Gary Vaynerchuk!
I first read Gary Vaynerchuk about a year and a half ago when I was doing some social media consulting for a friend’s company. I don’t quite recall how I stumbled upon his book, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, but I was immediately blown away by the writing. The pages burst with passion and humor. The prescriptions he offered for “Upping your Hustle” in social media were brief, easy-to- digest, and brilliant.
A month or so later, I landed a job I really wanted as an Innovations Consultant at the health plan where I work. It was a perfect fit for a creative type like me. I still loved social media, so I continued to consume as much information as I could about it. I read books by Guy Kawasaki, Kim Garst, Jay Baer, Seth Godin, Neal Schaffer, and subscribed to dozens of blogs. But, I continued to be most attracted to the information that Gary was putting out. The interesting thing though was, as I listened to him say “Fuck this” and “Fuck that,” coming from “GaryVee” it didn’t bother me; not even with all the ego he put behind it or as he likes to call it “bravado.” The guy has a lot of the good kind of self-esteem. The kind where you are aware of your talents and assets, but you don’t put others down. And he has a big heart. He offers up a lot of free information to try and help as many people as he can along the way. I was also inspired by him because he was so passionate and on point with what he was talking about. He backed his talk with his successes.
As I devoured more and more information about marketing, I ended up on Youtube, binge-watching episodes of #AskGaryVee- Gary’s Q&A show. On bus rides and on walks, as background while I worked around the house, on bike rides as I train to climb Mt. Whitney.
I not only listened to episodes of the show, I started to listen to Gary’s Keynote speeches from all his recent speaking engagements. By the way, this one is the best. Gary was speaking to a part of my soul that needed to be awakened. The part that was currently searching for my business self-esteem. I loved the #AskGaryVee show because not only did Gary give mad amounts of business wisdom away for free, but he had that “old soul” feel, where he also offered solid life advice. The more I listened, I began to realize that a lot of what Gary preached, could translate into all aspects of a person’s life.
I want to thank Gary Vee for putting all his “Shit” out there, most it for FREE. By the way, I bought a copy of #AskGaryVee. So I listened to the “Right Hooks.”
If you really want to find yourself in business, whether you are an entrepreneur or a nine-to-fiver, who wants to perform at the top of their game — like I am for the time being, you will really listen to the advice Gary offers. If you are paying close attention, you will see that Gary is giving away a lot more than tips to make you a better marketer. He’s giving life-changing nuggets.
The following is a list of 10 important “LifeHacks” that I gleaned from listening to Gary over the past year and a half. Some of them I have a grasp on, some of them I am working on, and some I might have a little different take on than Gary. If any of this stuff sounds “New-Agey,” it’s not really, at least to Gary, but it could be construed as such. To me it is. That is why I like what he is bringing. If you enjoy any of this and need great ideas to improve your marketing, check our everything Gary puts out. Best of luck to you.
Btw. Gary in 10 years I envision helping you and your business to either be more sustainable or to become more aware, on a spiritual level. Also, I have added questions underneath, if you want to consider any for #AskGaryVee. Lastly, I write a blog piece about an interesting person once a week on Tuesdays. Would you want to elect one of your employees to fill out the questionnaire? If so, email me at tonyfer33@gmail.com
1. Self-Awareness is Key to everything: Gary can’t stress enough how important it is for someone to know who they really are. He says he was blessed to understand that he was meant to be a “Hustler” at a young age. I envy Gary a little because of this. I am going to simplify this really complex idea. I differ from Gary, because I bileive that one can learn to become more self-aware. If you read this Gary, check out the book, The Four Agreements.” This book is a tool that can help someone crack open the door to becoming more self-aware.
Gary believes self-awareness is in your DNA. I am sure some of it is. I do feel self-awareness is the most important trait a person can have in life, no matter if it is in business or in their personal life. The reason to me, and this is my belief, to be a truly self-aware person, you move through the world, leading with love, respecting others pursuit of happiness and continually move towards that deep unknown spirit inside that drives your passion on a daily basis. I think the following episode with Seth Godin offers up a great, brief discussion about Self-Awareness.
2. Gratitude: I love that Gary goes to gratitude all the time to justify all the great things in his life. This is such spiritual stuff, Gary, just admit it. If you (the reader of this) are ever in a bad space go to Gratitude. It really works. I walk to the bus at 6 am, I thank the Universe for everything, trees, birds, moon, work, health, family, sobriety, ad infinitum. You should try it.
Question for #AskGaryVee: What is one physical Trait You wish you had?
3. Listen: I think this is why Gary excels at what he does. He always has his ear on the pulse of the consumer. I love his tactic of going into the Facebook feeds of big clients and reading every single conversation that occured. Or as he jokes, he follows kids around and watches tem on their smartphones, listening to their conversations to see what social media they use. He knows the children of today, will drive all the business decisions of tomorrow. It’s pretty genius. I also love how Gary listens to his employees. Listening does two things, builds trust in the listener and it also builds self-esteem in the person being listened to. Gary also does ALL his own engagements on his personal social media. This is huge for someone with a fan base as big as his. Just the other day he liked a couple of the things I posted about his book. People want to be heard! Do you hear me?
Question for #AskGaryVee: How do you handle arguments with your wife?
4. Be Empathetic: By listening and just being a good person, who leads with love and kindness, you will almost automatically be empathetic. In my eyes, a lot of Gary’s success is probably his Karma bank constantly giving him returns, but I will NEVER discount that he is probably one of the hardest-working people in the business.
https://medium.com/@garyvee/empathy-one-of-the-keys-to-my-business-success-25fb418e5a81#.mg527tkta
Question for #AskGaryVee: 3 Songs on your funeral playlist?
5. Play your Strengths: I love this one! I know Gary will say he is a contradiction at times and this is one of the things where I am going to call him out. He is always hyping, “Play your strengths,” forget your weaknesses, but I have heard him a couple of times talk about things he was not so good at, that he learned to excel at later in life. I want to #Humblebrag for a minute. I know my strength is creating and coming up with ideas. The other day one of my colleagues said, “You have so many good ideas, do you write them down.” I said, “Not all of them. I know the ones I forget, will be replaced by even better ones.” Focusing on your strengths will take you a long way, and I bet in the meantime the things you aren’t good at will get better. Also, I think I am a pretty good networker. I am really interested in people and it comes in handy anywhere.
Question for #AskGaryVee: who is the coolest rich guy you know and why?
6. Follow through: Like Gary says, “Ideas aren’t shit without execution.” Not sure if those are his exact words, but I am sure he probably said something close. I BELIEVE this with all my heart.
Question for #AskGaryVee: What one meal could you eat every day? Mine is nachos.
7. Word is Bond: Gary said this was the most important thing his father taught him. I am still working on getting better on this. Yes, it is a weakness. It took me getting sober to really start to get good at it. Now I pride myself on sticking to my word most of the time. Sometimes I mess up by over-booking my social or work calendar. I am a work in progress. If you read the “First Agreement-Be Impeccable With Your Word” mentioned in #1 above, you will know how important this ACTION is.
8. Patience: Gary says this is one of the most important reasons for his success. Patience is the key to ALL growth. If you don’t have it, you can learn it. Most of the time it means sitting through uncomfortable moments when you want to react. If you don’t react, watch the beauty of enlightenment unfold all around you.
Question for #AskGaryVee: What is the #2 thing on your bucketlist. Of course #1 is Buying the Jets.
9. Give People the Gift of Time: This idea is brilliant. Gary believes (paraphrased), as humanity is moving toward an era where everyone is busier, time is the most valuable commodity. Create a business or product to respect other’s time and you will get rich. Give of your own time to others and you will get rich.
10. Volunteer: All the free stuff Gary gives away is basically volunteering, and as I mentioned above, his karma bank is bursting at the seams. Nothing is more rewarding than helping others. Also, if you need experience in a field, volunteering is a great way to build the resume.
Question for #AskGaryVee: How do you preach Wellness and Sustainability at VaynerMedia?
The ten topics above are just scratching the surface of all the amazing insight that Gary offers for free every week on #AskGaryVee, and in his amazing books. I recommend you check him out regardless of what your current circumstance is. I can guarantee you, if you are listening with an open heart and mind and ready to hear the truth, he will have something that will strike a chord with you. It might even light a fire under your ass and get you moving in the direction you were always intended to go.
Question for #AskGaryVee: Would you rather know where we came from or where we are going after we die?
