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November 8, 2021

How to Have TENACITY Without the Burnout: Road to Twelve and a Half (series)

Tenacity is an essential but often misunderstood ingredient for success in business. Of all the ingredients in my upcoming book, this one may stand out because it’s not considered as “soft” of a skill as gratitude, empathy, optimism, and some of the others we’ve covered in the Road to Twelve and a Half series so far. It has a little more teeth to it. That being said, tenacity is extremely important and actually works hand in hand with a lot of the other traits.

It breaks my heart that people confuse tenacity with burnout — I don’t think the two are the same at all. When approached with the right balance, I think tenacity is actually one of the most crucial traits and something I admire in the strongest CEOs and founders I know.

Let’s explore a little further.

What is Tenacity?

Tenacity
(noun)
The quality or fact of being very determined; determination.

via GIPHY

Being tenacious is about being determined and not quitting on your goal when it gets hard or because things are not happening quickly. Having tenacity doesn’t mean that you don’t experience setbacks or obstacles, but rather that those obstacles don’t faze you because you’re that focused on your macro goal. I’ll give you an example.

One of the things that drives me crazy today is that everybody talks a big game. “I’m gonna be the biggest star on YouTube,” but then after two months of nobody watching, they give up! There is this incredible belief amongst many that you just start producing content and you go viral, and then these amazing things happen in six months. In reality, that only happens to 500 or 5,000 people a year. For the rest of us, myself included, it doesn’t work that way.

I was 18 months deep into posting five days a week on Wine Library TV and still, almost nobody was watching my show. It takes time, it takes episodes, it takes effort…but most importantly, it takes a level of tenacity that matches your ambition.

In addition to ambition, tenacity should also be balanced with having a real passion for whatever it is you’re doing! It’s easier to be tenacious when you’re passionate and optimistic and way harder when you’re trying to do something you hate.

As with most things, I’m so grateful to my upbringing for giving me the examples that I needed. Growing up and watching my dad come from the Soviet Union to build his business was a great example of tenacity that helped shaped the way I think:

Macro Patience and Micro Tenacity

Ultimately, it didn’t matter to me that no one was watching my show. It didn’t matter to me that people thought I was crazy for responding back to literally every tweet about wine that I saw. None of it mattered because I had so much belief in what I was doing, I had patience around not seeing results right away, and I had the tenacity to see it through.

Patience and tenacity are two of the ingredients I talk about all the time. Patience, for me, is a macro; tenacity is a micro. You have to be tenacious in the task at hand, but patient in the overall mission. The problem is that a lot of people struggle with those levels and they give up too soon.

When You’re Tenacious, People Around You Won’t Always Understand

For many of the things I’ve “won” at, someone once told me I was wrong or that it was crazy. Years ago it was the internet and social media, today it’s NFTs. Let’s go even further back.

When old peers would come by and see me stocking shelves at Wine Library, I know a lot of them thought it was crazy that I was still working in my dad’s liquor store. To some people, that may have been devastating. So many fall victim to the idea of “falling behind” in comparison to their friends, but I had so much tenacity that my mind never went to that place. Instead, I was so determined that I was able to tune out the noise of other people’s perceptions and opinions.

On top of that, I never took those opinions personally. Instead, I had empathy. Of course they didn’t get it, because they didn’t know my plans. They didn’t have my vision, my patience, or my understanding of time and making a short term investment in my family’s future upfront to be able to do what I wanted to do later on.

That’s why tenacity has to go hand in hand with conviction! When you know what you want and what you’re working for, the obstacles and opinions are just noise. They don’t matter

Tenacity Should Never Equal Burnout

Yes, tenacity means hard work, grit, resilience…but it doesn’t mean that you should sacrifice your health or peace of mind just to reach your goals. If you find yourself constantly unhappy or unreasonably stressed most of the time, it’s probably a sign that you’re not deploying tenacity in the right way.

Be tenacious about stuff you actually enjoy

Another reason for burnout is that too many people are forcing themselves to go hard at things they don’t even like. Sure, you might have a fancy job and make a lot of money, but what does it even matter if you hate your life most of the time?

People often ask me how I stay motivated or why I work so much. It’s because I actually fucking love what I do. Business is my hobby; it gets me pumped! It’s so much easier to be tenacious around the shit that you really enjoy instead of forcing yourself to work hard at something you don’t want to do, just to have people think a certain way about you or to be able to afford stuff you don’t need to impress others. It goes back to having real self-awareness and accountability.

Ask yourself, are you burnt out because you’re working too much, or do you just hate the work you’re doing? Are you setting goals for yourself, or to reach some level of success you think will impress other people?

Find out what you love to do, what you’re curious about, and go do that thing! When you enjoy the process, you’ll see how much easier it is to be tenacious without sacrificing your health or wellbeing.

How To Be Tenacious When Shit Gets Hard

First thing’s first — you have to ask yourself, what is the alternative? Seriously. If you’ve decided what you want to do, you do it! No matter what. Even if it takes a long time, even if mom and dad or your friends don’t see the point. You stick it out.

Yes, you should always have balance (and everyone’s balance is unique and personal to them), but keeping that tenacity is all about removing the option to give up on something if you really want it.

Decide that you’re gonna do it and then take actions. Set a huge, crazy goal that people think is ridiculous — like maybe that you’re gonna buy the New York Jets — and then don’t give a fuck what people think about it. Just execute and fall in love with the process over the goal itself. Make up your mind that you will not lose to the sauces! If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out the video below.

Key Ingredient

If you want to know whether you have the stomach for business, ask yourself if you can handle the no’s. Ask yourself if you love the game of entrepreneurship more than what the game gives you. Ask yourself if you’re ready to never give up! Remember, setbacks and failures are bound to happen. It’s just about whether you have the tenacity to keep going when they do.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and the others in my Road to Twelve and a Half series. If you took any value from it, please share and tweet me @garyvee ! I’d love to hear from you.

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Published on November 08, 2021 09:17

November 2, 2021

Road to Twelve and a Half: Kindness

Especially in the business world, too many people think it’s all about being hard, tough, ambitious, or having grit. Yes, these things are important, but trust me — that’s not where we’re lacking as a collective. We have the “hard things” down. I think it’s actually the “soft things” that are harder to master, and of all the traits in Twelve and a Half, I think kindness is a real foundation to why soft skills are so important in life and business.

I think my feelings about kindness can get lost in translation for some people who can’t look past my more “aggressive” communication style in speeches and videos. Fortunately, the people who know me best and who see me in my element both personally and professionally understand just how central kindness is to how I operate. Hopefully, this blog can give some more context into how I think about the trait and why I hold it so highly.

What is Kindness?

Kindness
(noun)
The quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.

via GIPHY

Like a lot of the emotional ingredients, we think of kindness as a “nice to have” when really, it’s a must. We don’t think about kindness as a fucking foundation to business success! We don’t think that being kind is going to make us rich, however, you’ll be surprised at how kindness can impact your business and career as a whole.

When you’re kind, you can deploy empathy and you’re less judgmental of others and yourself. In reality, I believe that kindness is what makes life and business more enjoyable.

What People Misunderstand About Kindness

A lot of it comes down to fear. People are scared that they’re gonna fail, that they’re gonna be taken advantage of, etc. So, instead of being kind, they throw their defenses up. Trust me, being kind isn’t a sign of weakness. The truth is, kindness is a strength that is greatly underrated.

Being “cutthroat” isn’t cool — kindness is the real flex. Check out this video for more perspective.

The following video comes from an interview I did on the Drew Barrymore show and it’s a perfect example of how I choose to deploy empathy and kindness in the face of hate.

So many people are concerned with “blocking the negativity” or blaming social media for being toxic. The truth is, there was “hate” before social media came around and there always will be. As long as people are hurting, some of them will use those insecurities as a reason to target or attack other people. If you find yourself on the receiving end of that, I say kindness is always the answer. There’s no point in getting angry, frustrated, or even trying to convince people to change. All you can do is have conviction in deploying kindness wherever you can.

If you struggle with choosing kindness, I have so much empathy for you, but I also want to challenge you. Ask yourself why you have that perspective, and when you bought into the myth that “nice guys finish last.” If you take anything away from this blog, let it be that kindness is so much more nuanced than people often think. You can be kind and still be respected and successful. You can be kind and still stand up for yourself and crush it in business. I’m living proof.

Why You Should Be Kind When it’s Hard

I say it all the time… it’s easy to be kind when it’s easy. What I mean by that is that it comes naturally to us to show kindness to people who are kind to us, people who give us what we want, or people who we know we’ve wronged. What’s harder is being kind when it’s hard.

Can you be the bigger person when someone has wronged you? Can you deploy kindness even when the other person won’t apologize or admit that they’ve done something fucked up? That’s when kindness really counts. Why? It’s not about letting people off the hook…it’s about understanding that we never really know what another person is going through.

In Twelve and a Half, I tell the story of when an employee I was close with stole $250,000 worth of wine from me. It would have been so incredibly easy to respond with anger, but instead, I chose to resist judging them and get curious about why they may have done that. I’ll leave the end of that story for the book, but it comes down to this:

You don’t know anyone else’s full story and they don’t know yours. If you messed up, wouldn’t you want others to give you the benefit of the doubt? Wouldn’t you want them to deploy kindness with you? The bottom line is that when you meet people on a human level and talk to them with kindness, you often get to the root of the problem quicker than if you dismiss them with anger or rudeness.

Kindness needs to be the formula! Unhappy people who were hurt along the way need compassion in response to their dark behavior, not more venom.

Balancing Kindness with Candor

That being said, remember that navigating these traits is all about balance. While it’s important to be kind to those who have wronged you, it’s equally as important to hold people accountable. This is where kind candor comes in.

As many of you know, I identified kind candor as my “half,” or the emotional ingredient that I’m still developing. I won’t say too much about it here because it deserves its own blog, but what I will say is that learning to balance candor alongside my kindness has made me a better person and a much, much better businessman and CEO.

Kindness Starts with YOU

I think how kind a person is to others is a direct reflection of how kind they are to themselves. When we’re always judging ourselves, it’s easy to judge others…but when we show ourselves compassion, respect, and kindness, those are the things we give to the people around us as well.

I really need you to understand this one thing….If you’re always shitting on yourself or saying things like “I suck,” “I’m just lucky,” “I don’t deserve…” or any other things that are not encouraging or kind to yourself, you need to cut that shit out. Love starts with yourself! If you’re not kind to yourself, it’s because someone else instilled that in you. You weren’t born to think you suck, someone put it there.

Maybe it was your mom or dad being hard on you, or bullies at school, or some other naysayer that made you believe bad things about yourself. Either way, it’s up to you and only you to change that story. Realize that those thoughts are made up and they don’t belong to you, so you get to choose new ones. When you do, make sure they’re based in kindness!

Key Ingredient

When you figure out that kindness is the real strength, when you start leaving every interaction with the person on the other side feeling happier, shit gets a lot more fun. Trust me. Be kind and bring happiness to others…you’ll be shocked by what it brings to you.

Thanks for reading! If you got value from this blog, I’d appreciate it if you shared it on your favorite social media platform or with a friend.

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Published on November 02, 2021 12:29

October 29, 2021

Road to Twelve and a Half: Empathy

Empathy is one of the most central ingredients of who I am and how I operate. It’s what helps me communicate contextually. It’s what feeds my curiosity and my social listening. It’s been so foundational to my life and business that I even named my wine project after it.

My wine company Empathy Wines sold to Constellation Brands, the trait behind it remains a core part of how I live my life today. Like many soft skills, people tend to think of empathy as a “nice to have” instead of a need. I’m hoping to change that.

By the end of this blog post, I hope that people begin to understand just how important empathy is in every area, from human connections to business tactics.

What is Empathy?

Empathy
(noun)

The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

Throughout my career, many people have given me credit for being a great “predictor” or seeing things coming. The truth is, my ability to call things early on from up-and-coming social media platforms to good investments isn’t about magic or luck — it’s about empathy.

Empathy has been behind most of my big decisions from investing my life savings in Facebook and Twitter when everyone told me they would flop, to today, when I am encouraging my community to get educated on NFTs, even when the some people in society are still mocking, doubting, and ignoring.

“When you’re empathetic, you recognize why people behave the way they do.” – Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success

Empathy helps me to understand what makes other people tick — their feelings, their likes and dislikes, their wants and needs, their insecurities. That uncanny sense of human behavior helps me to understand a lot about attention, where it’s going, and what that means for us as a society.

When you’re able to leverage empathy in business, it makes you a better business owner, CEO, manager, or leader. When you’re able to leverage empathy in life, it makes you a better parent, friend, partner, and just all-around human being.

Having Empathy Versus Actually Using It

It’s one thing to have empathy; it’s an entirely separate thing to deploy it to bring value to other people.

Empathy in life

“Empathy is the ingredient that provides the answers to the test. When you can feel what another is feeling, you develop an extraordinary ability to manipulate human beings. I believe it’s the ultimate superpower. You can create carnage with it, or you can use it to uplift the world…” – Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success

Recognizing that empathy gives you the power to sway others is actually a huge opportunity to do good and create value for everyone involved.

Empathy in business

Five years ago, I wrote this blog — Empathy: One of the Keys to My Business Success. Today, all of those words still ring true. That blog goes super in-depth into how empathy can be deployed from a tactical standpoint in everything from sales to HR and B2C strategy, so you should definitely give it a read…but ultimately, it all comes down to what I’m about to say.

The best leaders and CEOs are empathetic. Why? They understand that it’s about more than being a caring person, it’s about taking your understanding of another person or group of people and using it to create a win-win scenario. Empathy allows me to really care and think about what the client, customer, or target audience is thinking. That helps me in sales, it helps me to be likable, it helps me navigate, it helps me make decisions about products and services…it helps me so much and it helps the other party, too.

On the other hand, it’s also important to balance empathy with letting people learn things on their own, especially in a business context. For example, when two of my employees have a disagreement or conflict, I might intuitively know the answers to what would improve or fix the situation. That being said, I still want to give them the opportunity to figure it out for themselves. Like with all of the 12.5 ingredients, it’s about deploying the right balance of traits at the right time.

Why I Have Empathy for my “Haters”

I actually think that everyone deserves empathy — even “haters.” I find that a lot of people are so quick to throw hate back at the haters, but I say, do the opposite. Have massive amounts of empathy for them, because they need it the most.

When someone leaves a nasty comment about you, it’s easy to get defensive or to take it personally. That’s when you have to remember that comments often reflect what’s going on in the inside. People receiving negative comments should take a step back and deploy compassion, but you can only do that once you first have empathy to understand why that person left a negative comment in the first place.

“I deploy empathy and kindness against hate because I know it takes more strength to be empathetic. From the outside, people think that those who come with negativity and aggression have the advantage in the interaction. I know it’s the reverse.” – Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success

Once you figure out that it often has very little to do with you, it’s easy not to care and to respond with kindness.

Empathy for Yourself Matters the Most

Finally, it’s important to remember that you have to start with yourself. It will be extremely hard to understand someone else’s feelings if you don’t understand your own. This is why I make the point in Twelve and a Half that self-awareness — and by association, self-acceptance and self-love — go hand in hand with empathy. In other words, if you’re not understanding with yourself, it’s unlikely that you’ll be understanding with others.

I talk a lot about not looking back and not dwelling on your mistakes or failures. That’s because I want every one of you to have empathy for yourselves. You’re not lost, you’re just early in the process, and the sooner you understand that, the sooner you’ll be able to see the value of empathy in your own life and the lives of those around you.

Key Ingredient

Too many people are mad at others without even thinking about where they’re coming from. Too many people are saying “no” instead of “yes” or “maybe.” Too many are judging new ideas or opportunities without doing research or understanding the larger context. Empathy can change all of that

Thank you so much for reading this week’s blog. Don’t forget to let me know your thoughts on Twitter and share on your favorite platform.

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Published on October 29, 2021 16:52

October 18, 2021

Road to Twelve and a Half: Optimism

For those of you just discovering this series, Road to Twelve and a Half is a countdown to the November 16th release of my sixth business book, Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success. I hope these blogs can serve as extra resources to build off of the material in the book and help more people find happiness in life and work.

So far, we’ve talked about gratitude, self-awareness and accountability. Today, we’re talking about optimism.

I’m so grateful to have the audience that I do, and having this kind of platform also gives me a sense of responsibility to help center these emotional ingredients in social conversation. Optimism is one trait I’m very excited about, so excited that I even based an entire sneaker launch on it!

What I knew then and still know now is that optimism is massively important, and yet people unfortunately confuse it with delusion. I hope this blog post and the anecdotes in Twelve and a Half can help to change that.

What is Optimism?

Optimism

(noun)

Hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something.

via GIPHY

To me, optimism is one of the most misunderstood traits. It’s commonly confused with delusion…but in my opinion, having a perspective of optimism might be one of the biggest and most important ways to build a life of happiness and joy. It’s why I have major plans for my guy Optimistic Otter over the next 40 years!

A lot of people talk about energy, and I’ve come to realize that everything in life is either positive or negative energy. Optimism is the positive energy that makes things happen. It makes you feel good, it makes the people around you feel good, and ultimately, it’s what makes even the “bad” stuff bearable — because when you’re optimistic, you understand that shit can and will get better. Even your “failures” can be fuel.

I think the biggest obstacle to success is a lack of optimism. This quick video from 2016 really puts it into perspective:

Why Some People Struggle with Optimism

I’m empathetic to people who are pessimistic because I know that for them, pessimism is almost a form of protection; it’s a defense mechanism. They think it keeps them safe from disappointment or getting their hopes up, but I actually think it’s way less productive than operating from a place of optimism.

When you’re pessimistic, overly negative or always looking for trouble, trouble is exactly what you’ll get. When you’re optimistic, you’re playing offense instead of defense.

Optimism and Practicality

Many times, people confuse being optimistic with being delusional or naive. They’re so afraid of the disappointment that comes on the other side of losing or being “wrong,” that they dismiss optimism as something fluffy or silly. The truth is, optimism is extremely practical.

How do you expect to accomplish any big goal if you’re already looking for all the reasons why it won’t work? Isn’t it much more productive to believe there’s a chance you can do it or that it will work out? Even if it doesn’t work out, doesn’t it make more sense to focus on the next steps you can take in the right direction? Either way you look at it, being optimistic helps you focus on the opportunities, instead of dwelling on the losses.

via GIPHY

To me, optimism is the only worthwhile response, especially when fueled by gratitude and perspective.

“Optimism is being thrilled about your next at-bat, while acknowledging that you’re not guaranteed to hit a home run.” – Twelve and a Half, Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success

When you’re grateful for the opportunity to even try at something in the first place, it makes the process more enjoyable. When you enjoy what you’re doing, it’s more likely that you’ll stick with it long enough to see results. This is why if you’ve got a big goal, being optimistic is one of the most practical things you can do to give yourself the best chance of reaching it.

If you’re dwelling on mistakes or counting yourself out, you’ll be behind before you even start.

How to Build Optimism

Like anything else, building your optimism will take time. If this is one of your halves, the best thing you can do is rewire your mindset, starting with taking a good look at your environment. This means being aware of who and what you’re spending your time with, and how they’re influencing the way you think.

1. Surround yourself with optimistic/practical people

While no one else is accountable for your mindset but you, it’s much harder to be optimistic if you’re surrounded by negative people. The people you spend your time with often reflect the person you become. If your current circle is constantly complaining or pointing fingers instead of thumbs aka lacking accountability, you need to get a new circle.

via GIPHY

I know what you’re thinking…you can’t just cut people off — especially close friends and family. I’m not telling you to drop people and never speak to them again, but the fact is that if someone is dragging you down mentally, it’s best to limit your interactions with them.

Check out this clip from the Twelve and a Half audiobook sessions. I think it really drives the point home:

Now, it’s important to distinguish between “positive people” and “yes men.” You don’t want people who always tell you what you want to hear. This is why that balance of optimism and practicality is key! By staying practical, you avoid sliding into delusion.

2. Fill your ears with positivity

When it comes to building your optimism and watching your surroundings, the “what” is just as important as the “who.” Think about the stuff you’re consuming, from the shows you watch to the podcasts you listen to. Are they helping you or hurting you? If you don’t know where to start, I think filling your ears with positivity through podcasts and videos is a great way in. A lot of it is free and easily accessible via the internet — this blog is just one example!

Remember, what you listen to and who you listen to is what you become.

For Those who Think, “That’s Easy for You to Say”…

I’m aware that my ideas or concepts will be lost on some people. Whether it’s because of my position in life or my delivery and the way I speak, there are some who just can’t get past the messenger to the actual message. There are those who will think it’s “easy” for me to push positivity and optimism because I have a certain level of success. While I’m very empathetic to those who have that mentality, I also want people to realize that this isn’t about me. It’s not even (just) about success — it’s about your happiness!

I’m grateful if even one person can watch a video of mine, or read a book, blog post or newsletter and get something from it that makes them more optimistic about life. On the other hand, if hearing it from me doesn’t work, I hope you get it from another person or another source — as long as it sinks in.

That being said, I think this video proves that optimism isn’t just for the super successful. It’s for any and everyone:

Key Ingredient

Optimism is about positivity. It’s about hope and good energy…and I’m optimistic that all 13 of the emotional ingredients in Twelve and a Half will help people change their own lives in a major way.

Thanks for reading! I’d love it if you shared this article on your favorite social media platform and let me know your thoughts!

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Published on October 18, 2021 08:18

October 8, 2021

Soapbox Cars, Punch Buggies & Getting Stopped by the Cops…Trash Talk Episode 7 Recap PLUS Garage Sale Strategies

Hey everyone. For those of you who didn’t know, Trash Talk is BACK Since the vlog series is here again, I thought why not share a little recap of the latest episode on the blog?

In episode seven, DRock and I were in for an eventful day — everything from petting a dog to a little friendly competition with another garage sailer, and even getting stopped by the cops. There were lots of fun moments in this one, so definitely check out the full episode if you haven’t already.

For now, here’s a recap of the highlights from Trash Talk episode seven along with a few suggestions to help you up your garage sailing game.

Every Minute Counts

Garage sailing is my hobby but don’t be confused. I take this seriously!

via GIPHY

Get up early

I get a huge amount of enjoyment out of getting up early on a Saturday morning to start my garage sale hunt, and every minute counts. I suggest getting an early start to your day. A quick Google search will tell you that most garage sales start around 7am!

Plan which sales you want to hit

To make things easier on yourself, know which sales you plan to hit before you head out. Print out the addresses beforehand so you’re not losing time trying to figure out where to go next.

It’s all about strategy, my friends.

Keep Trying New Locations

In this episode, I decided to hit sales in a town I’d never been to before – West Milford. Even in all my years of garage sailing all over the suburbs of New Jersey, I’d never been here. That’s why it’s important to keep it fresh and keep scouting new locations.

Google is your mother

There are too many people who say they don’t have enough money that aren’t taking advantage of garage sale arbitrage. Don’t know where to start? Hit up Google and search “town wide garage sale.” Then pick one and start.

For those with the interest or the desire to potentially make $100-$1,000 over a weekend, garage sailing is a huge opportunity. Put in a little work upfront, find the people doing sales in your area, get up early and go.

“Ten Bucks is Forty Bucks, Easy”

On one of the first stops of the day, I scored big time with some finds from Lego that resell for up to $50.

At stop #6, I came across two 1968 Hot Wheels houses – another epic find. Even though I didn’t end up buying them, a quick search on my phone showed me that I could have bought them for ten bucks and sold them for a profit of $40.

Please understand, this shit is real out here in garage sale land. While some of it is intuition and interest, it’s also about research. If you’re not sure what an item is worth, look it up and see what similar items have sold for online.

Always be Quick When There’s a Punchbuggy Around!

Ask DRock

Respect Your Competition

Around garage sale #9 or so, DRock and I noticed a lady that kept beating us to all the sales in the area. Some might get frustrated, but I actually really respected her strategy. When she saw that I was at one sale, she moved on to another that she knew I hadn’t hit yet.

Ask for a Better Price

One of my best finds of the entire day was a homemade vintage soap box car that the owner wanted to sell for $100. I was able to get it for $50 just by asking.

Garage sales are a great way to make extra money, but it’s not always gonna be straightforward. If something’s out of your price range or you think you could get a better deal, try to negotiate. You never know.

Check out this clip to see how it all went down:

Maybe Don’t Film…

Seems like maybe my “friendly” competition from earlier wasn’t so friendly after all The jury’s still out on whether it was her that called the cops on us or not, but either way, I gotta respect her hustle!

In all seriousness, be careful filming in any residential areas. Luckily, this West Milford officer was very kind and we were back on our way very soon.

Kindness Matters

Probably my favorite moment of this episode was when I got to pay $20 to a young girl for a cup of lemonade. The smile on her face was priceless. It took me back to my childhood in 1985 when a bike rider came by and paid me 20 bucks.

Best money I spent all day. Kindness matters, folks!

Takeaway

All in all, DRock and I hit about 40 garage sales that day. People ask me why I still do this, and the truth is that I love it…but it’s also because I want to help people get out of their own way. You may not have a lot of money, but you have the ability to Google “town wide garage sales,” you have $20 for gas, and you have the ability to negotiate, buy something for ten bucks and list it for higher on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Instagram, or Craigslist.

When you eliminate your excuses, the world opens up!

Thanks for reading and/or watching the latest Trash Talk! Let me know your thoughts on the episode on Twitter and whether you’ll be trying any of my suggestions!

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Published on October 08, 2021 15:16

Road to Twelve and a Half: Accountability

On November 16th, I’ll be introducing the world to my new book, Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success. Most of you reading this know that when I say business, I really mean life…and hands down, one of the most important ingredients for personal and professional success is accountability.

For the third stop on the Road to Twelve and a Half blog series, I’ll be breaking down why accountability is actually my favorite ingredient right now. Of course, all 13 traits matter equally, but they ebb and flow in terms of how focused I am on them at any given moment. Six to eight years ago, for example, I didn’t talk about accountability in my content all that much. On the other hand, today, I’m completely convinced that accountability is maybe the most significant path to happiness.

Keep reading to see why I’m so bullish on this particular trait!

WHAT IS ACCOUNTABILITY?

Accountability
(noun)
The fact or condition of being accountable; responsibility.

Another trait with multiple VeeFriends characters, accountability is represented by both Accountable Ant and Accountable Anteater.

via GIPHY

Last week, we talked about self-awareness, and accountability is the perfect trait to follow up. I actually believe self-awareness and accountability go hand in hand.

More importantly, when you lean into accountability, your life gets happier!

WHY ACCOUNTABILITY IS THE SECRET POTION FOR HAPPINESS

Yes, it’s that important! When you hold yourself accountable, it leads to solutions; it helps you maintain a position of control instead of being a victim. It diffuses the tension in arguments because both people stop attacking each other and look at themselves instead.

Think about it, if you make everything your fault (without beating yourself up, of course), then you are also the person with the power to change things around.

via GIPHY

So many of you right now – in this exact second – are unhappy because you’re pointing fingers, and feeling a lack of control as a result. The lack of accountability leads to so much bad. If we can prop up accountability instead of shying away from it, all of us will be happier.

In fact, here are 5 Reminders that Accountability Leads to Happiness. This blog from 3 years ago remains just as relevant today.

Making Accountability Cool

One of my biggest hopes for Twelve and a Half is that it helps contribute to changing people’s minds about what it means to be accountable. I want everyone who reads this blog and this book to start making accountability “cool” — just like being “woke” or the grind culture or being an entrepreneur. I think there’s a crazy amount of opportunity here to shift the meaning of accountability in culture.

This clip from 2019 sums it up:

WHY ACCOUNTABILITY IS SO HARD FOR PEOPLE

To put it simply, I think most people hate accountability; they love to point fingers at others, instead of pointing thumbs back at themselves.

There are several reasons for this.

1. Self-Judgement

For some, it comes down to self-judgement. Since most people struggle to acknowledge their shortcomings or “halves” — aka the traits they’re not yet good at — without huge amounts of judgment, it’s easier to tell themselves that the problem is with everyone and everything else. That way, it lets them off the hook…they don’t have to feel the “sting” of realizing that they messed up.

2. Fear of Other People’s Opinions

For others, it’s about the fear of what other people think. This is still judgement, but it’s coming from the outside instead of the inside. When you put too much value in other people’s opinions, you’ll do anything to try to control the way you’re perceived — even deflect responsibility. For these people, dodging accountability is almost like armor…they think it keeps them safe, but really, it weighs them down.

“People fear other people’s opinions, so they develop an ego-defense mechanism against their own mistakes. It’s a form of avoidance disguised as a solution.” – Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success.

The truth is that avoiding accountability doesn’t keep you safe from judgement. In fact, while it might work on some, most successful people have high EQs and can see through the bs. Passing blame is never a good look or a good strategy.

Take a listen to this excerpt from the Twelve and a Half audiobook reading. Try to understand how a simple mindset switch from playing the blame game to taking accountability creates more control and happiness in any situation:

HOW TO BUILD ACCOUNTABILITY

Here are a few things you can start doing today to increase your accountability.

Understand this: When you blame others, you’re admitting to yourself that you’re no longer in control

If accountability is one of your halves, it will take time to develop. The good news is that you can start any time. Every conversation, business deal, meeting, argument, mistake, apology, etc. is an opportunity to take responsibility for your part in how things played out and start the process of fixing it.

Change your Perspective

I know what some of you are probably thinking – but Gary, what if it’s really not my fault? What if the problem is above me or shit just happens? I get it, but my challenge to you would then be to change your perspective. Even if the problem you’re looking at seems beyond your control, you’re still in control of how you absorb it.

“It excites me to know that nobody else is in control. If I created the issue, then I have the power to fix it. If I didn’t create the issue and it’s bigger than me or purely circumstantial, I can still decide how I absorb it.” – Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success

Ask Questions

Lastly, build a habit of training your brain to take ownership by asking questions. For example…

Did I mess up? Yes. → Then, it’s my fault, which means I have the power to fix it.

Did I mess up? No. → Did someone I hired mess up? → Yes. → Then, it’s my fault, which means I have the power to fix it.

Was there something I could have done differently to have avoided the problem? Could I have been more prepared? Could I have moved faster or slower?

If you’re just getting started, building accountability will be like building muscle – it’ll take time. My hope is that the more you do it, the more natural it’ll feel, like a reflex. The less time you spend between the time of the issue and the moment you take accountability, the less time you’ll spend feeling powerless and the quicker you can move on to solutions.

Holding Myself Accountable

I only say it because I live it, my friends. The reason this book is called Twelve and a Half and not Thirteen is because I’m holding myself accountable for my own weaknesses. It was important to me that I share my “half” with you guys so that you could start to think about yours.

Find someone else to hold you accountable

The above examples are all about how you can take responsibility for yourself, but sometimes the best way to do that is to get the assistance of someone you trust. When you’re accountable to someone outside of yourself, it can be a great motivating force.

For instance, I work so hard for VaynerMedia because I have hundreds of employees. I have a responsibility to those people and I owe it to them to show up with my best every day. Even if you don’t have a business, all of us have roles in our lives where we are responsible for other people. If you’re a parent, you’re responsible for your kids. If you’re a pet owner, you’re responsible for your dog, cat, or bird…Knowing that others are counting on you is a constant reminder to stay accountable.

That being said, there are some areas in our lives that are harder than others. A few years ago, mine was my health. While I was holding myself accountable in business and with family, I was completely neglecting my physical health. After asking myself why, I realized that it was because I lacked that outside source of accountability. So, what did I do? I hired a full-time trainer.

You can find out how I finally got serious about my health here, but ultimately, it boiled down to finding that tactic that would eliminate all excuses and push me to take my health seriously. That tactic was accountability. Why am I sharing this with you? I know holding yourself accountable isn’t the easy route — it’s why so many avoid it. So, if you need that extra motivation, find someone else to hold you accountable.

KEY INGREDIENT

Just like the caller in that clip, I hope that this blog and this book can be a breakthrough moment for all of you to realize that accountability is always the answer.

Thank you so much for reading. Don’t forget to share this article with a friend or on your favorite social media platform, and tweet me your thoughts!

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Published on October 08, 2021 11:30

September 28, 2021

Road to Twelve and a Half: Self-Awareness

Welcome to the second stop on the Road to Twelve and a Half series: self-awareness.

For those of you who didn’t know, Road to Twelve and a Half is a new series I’m doing here on the blog and for my newsletter community leading up to the November 16th release of my upcoming book, Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success. Each week, we’re taking a look into one or two of the traits aka “ingredients” that I think are most important to building a happy and healthy personal and professional life.

Last week, we talked about all things gratitude. Next up, we’re diving into self-awareness.

What is Self-Awareness?

Self-Awareness
(noun)
Conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives, and desires.

via GIPHY

In addition to the above definition, I think self-awareness is about knowing your strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, the things you’re great at, the things you suck at…Ultimately, it comes down to knowing who you are and how you operate.

All 13 of the traits mentioned in my book are important variables in being successful, but I think self-awareness is one of the top ingredients. Here’s why.

Why Self-Awareness is Important

If you don’t know yourself and you don’t know what you’re good at, you’ve got no shot; you’re gonna be constantly spinning your wheels. The journey to self-awareness is about being willing to be super honest with yourself about who you are, even when nobody’s watching. The problem is, too many people are basing who they want to be off of what friends and family think, a desire for fancy things they think will impress others, or what’s “cool.”

Let me give you an example.

Self-awareness and entrepreneurship

I remember exactly when the value of self-awareness first grabbed my attention. It was back in 2011 to 2013 when the interest in entrepreneurship became widely popular in culture.

More and more students and execs started becoming startup founders, and I was genuinely confused…

via GIPHY

To me, it was clear that many of these people were not true entrepreneurs, but then I realized that it wasn’t clear to them. Why? — because they lacked self-awareness.

Many of these people had great ideas or lots of ambition, but that didn’t mean they were true entrepreneurs. I saw a lot of them trying to be number ones – aka CEOs and founders – when in reality, they were really meant to be amazing number twos, threes, and twenty-sevens. This doesn’t come from a place of audacity or me thinking that I’m better than anybody, anger, etc…it comes from empathy. The fact is that “number one spot” within a company is great if you have the DNA for it and if it makes you happy. For example, business is 100% my hobby. I could never give it up because I’m a purebred entrepreneur, but I know this isn’t the case for many others.

Some people talk themselves into starting companies only to realize that they don’t like being at the helm, they don’t like the barrage of “no’s,” they don’t like taking risks. Maybe they’d actually be happy as fuck in another spot within a company, whether that’s number two, four, ten, etc…I think there’s actually an incredible amount of people that are meant to be great number threes and fours who’ve really put themselves into an unhappy framework trying to be entrepreneurs. Please, it’s time for us to have an honest conversation with ourselves about whether we actually enjoy the work of entrepreneurship, or if we’d be happier doing something else. For even more context, watch this clip:

My one hope for all of you reading this is that you develop true self-awareness. Remember, there’s a difference between thinking something is cool and knowing it’s your calling. Self-awareness will help you make the distinction.

Why Self-Awareness is So Hard for People

Self-awareness is about knowing who you are, and when you don’t know who you are, you leave yourself vulnerable to trying to become someone you’re not. Here are a couple of common traps I see people falling into.

1. Delusion

Delusional people lack self-awareness because they’re not being honest with themselves. Ironically, they tend to look critically at what everyone else is doing instead of looking inward and being real about themselves.

Look – I get it. Being honest with ourselves is hard. It’s much easier to be a keyboard warrior or to talk about what everybody else is doing wrong than it is to own up to your own stuff. The issue is that when people don’t look at themselves first, they can end up really overestimating their strengths and underestimating their weaknesses.

When you’re truly self-aware, there’s no room for delusion. You’re honest with yourself about everything, which allows you to triple-down on your strengths and navigate your weaknesses.

2. Overcompensation

This second group of people is not delusional…they actually realize when they suck at something, but they overcompensate for those insecurities by propping themselves up for everyone else to see. These are the folks who put “CEO” in their IG bios to look good in the eyes of the world rather than leaning into their actual strengths and passions.

via GIPHY

This group is constantly chasing titles, promotions, and achievements. Ambition is great, but when you’re overly focused on what other people in the organization think about you rather than bringing actual value to your current position, that’s when you’re in trouble.

Titles are valuable when you’re planning to switch jobs or moving to another company altogether, but when I see people obsessed with gaining new titles within their company, I know that they’re more than likely overcompensating for some deeper insecurity around what other people think of them.

How to Build Your Self-Awareness

We’ve established that honesty is key, but let’s go a little further. One of the best ways to increase your self-awareness is by making the people closest to you feel safe enough to tell you the truth about their observations of you. Here are some other tactical ways to get real with yourself and build your self-awareness.

1. Pay attention to what you like

I want you to ask yourself the following questions…

What comes naturally to me?
What do I love doing?
What’s in my DNA?

Answering these questions honestly is a great starting point to increasing self-awareness. More importantly, your answers will help you get closer to what might actually make you happy. With this, it’s important to understand that what you like is what you like. It’s not about manipulating that to fit into whatever’s cool right now or what you think could potentially make you the most money. It’s about really stopping to think what you would do even if no one was looking.

For me, I’ve always had self-awareness around the fact that I’m a purebred businessman. When I was six years-old, I had a six-lemonade stand franchise in Edison, New Jersey. From there it was trading and selling sports cards, garage sailing, my dad’s liquor store, VaynerMedia, VeeFriends…you get the point.

People often ask how I stay so focused or why I’ve never given up, and it’s simple. I know what I love to do and I don’t want to be doing anything else.

2. Pay attention to what you don’t like

On the other hand, it’s equally important to identify the things you hate. Oftentimes, I see people trying to force themselves to enjoy things they just don’t like instead of focusing on their passions. This leads to a crazy amount of self-judgement – which we’ll talk about more later on – and a lot of people end up beating themselves up for being “lazy.”

I actually think that being lazy is a good thing. Ask yourself this…What am I lazy around? Then ask yourself, is it laziness, or am I just showing myself that I actually don’t like this thing? Congratulations — you’ve just found an amazing mechanism toward building self-awareness. To understand how observing the patterns around your laziness can build self-awareness, watch this clip and let it sink in:

If you’re willing to pay attention to your dislikes with curiosity instead of judgement, you’ll learn a lot about yourself.

3. Pay attention to the facts

Lastly, it’s important to remember that your opinion isn’t the only one that matters. While likes and dislikes are important, self-awareness also relies on the truth of your proven track record.

You might think your content is amazing, but if you’ve been posting consistently for years and no one’s engaging, the truth is that it might suck. You might swear your product or service is the best out there, but what is the market saying?

When I made a thousand dollars as a sixth grader selling stuff, I knew I was going to be okay even if I got D’s and F’s in school. Why? It wasn’t just my opinion that I was a talented businessman — I had affirmation from the market.

Remember, self-awareness is about honesty, and honesty and delusion can’t coexist. That means that you can’t base your self-awareness solely on your own opinion of yourself. You also have to pay attention to the feedback and results you’re getting, while not personalizing any criticism you get.

Get Rid of the Judgement

As you build your self-awareness, guess what. You may learn some stuff about yourself that you don’t like. You may realize, oh, I thought I was good at that thing but I’m really not…or, I thought this was what I wanted to do with my life but I actually hate it and I want to do something totally different.

When this happens, it’s so important to realize that self-awareness does not equal self-judgement. Even if you realize you suck at something, you need to let it go. Why? Self-awareness isn’t an excuse to beat up on yourself. In fact, beating up on yourself is a complete waste of time. All it does is slow you down and get in the way of you moving on to starting the thing that’s actually gonna bring you happiness.

“I’m realizing right now that it’s one thing to be self-aware. It’s another thing to look in the mirror and say, ‘Hey, you’re not good at X.’ That doesn’t mean telling yourself you’re a piece of shit. It just means acknowledging a weakness.” – Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success

We all know who we are — sometimes we don’t like that…but we know. The good news is that the opportunities are endless once we stop worrying about what other people think and holding those judgments against ourselves.

It’s not about You vs. Them or even You vs. You. Play life within yourself, be nice to yourself, and understand yourself. The quicker you lean into self-awareness, the quicker you deploy self-love and acceptance and stop buying into the hype of society.

Key Ingredient

There is so much more to say about self-awareness and how it overlaps with other things like confidence, accountability, etc., but I’ve saved the biggest gems for the book. I can’t wait for you all to read it.

How are you liking the series so far? I’d love to hear your thoughts on Twitter using the hashtag #RoadtoTwelveandaHalf.

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Published on September 28, 2021 10:43

September 20, 2021

Road to Twelve and a Half: Gratitude

Hey everyone. It’s officially two months until the debut of my best book yet. Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success will be out on November 16th. Since this is my sixth business book, it was important to me to offer something new. That being said, I’m kicking off this blog series as a preview and guide to the central themes of the book. Introducing the Road to Twelve and a Half.

With this book, I really wanted to provide a different take on what it means to be successful. That meant offering a different perspective about what it takes to win in business and in life. It’s not about a “dog-eat-dog” mentality or a “black and white” approach. It’s about mastering soft skills, identifying your weaknesses or “halves,” and boosting your EQ, aka your emotional quotient or intelligence.

I’m so excited for you guys to read Twelve and a Half. The book itself is full of scenarios, anecdotes, and engaging exercises to really help you deploy these traits in your everyday lives. Until then, this blog series will give you a glimpse into what you can expect!

Now, let’s kick things off with the first ingredient on the Road to Twelve and a Half: gratitude.

What is Gratitude?

Before we talk about why gratitude is so important, we have to first understand what it really means. Let’s check out the definition:

Gratitude
(noun)
The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

I truly believe that gratitude is one of the most underrated traits, and it makes me sad because it’s such a core part of my DNA. In fact, this trait is so important to me that I named not one, but two VeeFriends characters after it: Gratitude Gorilla and Grateful Gar.

My OG community knows that this isn’t a new concept for me. I’ve actually been very public and vocal about the importance of gratitude for years. For example, seven years ago I published this blog post called A Note on Being Grateful. If you want a breakdown of where my gratitude really comes from – if you want to understand who I am – read that. Many of you may also remember “400 Trillion to One.” For those of you who didn’t know, those are the actual odds of you becoming a human being…If that doesn’t make you feel grateful, I don’t know what will.

I’ve talked a lot over the years about many different concepts – grinding, ambition, etc. The truth is, the reason I’m able to stay so focused on those things is because I operate so deeply from a place of gratitude. It’s the foundation for everything else.

Why Gratitude Comes Naturally to Me

Simply put, my productivity is completely predicated on the gratitude I have for the things I’ve been gifted. When you come from certain circumstances, it’s hard not to appreciate what you have.

I was born in the former Soviet Union in Belarus — a country where you couldn’t vote or leave of your own free will. I was raised by a woman who instilled in me more self-esteem than you can imagine. I understand just how much good shit I’ve been gifted in life, and in my eyes, I just can’t let that good stuff down. I’m not grateful because I’ve worked hard, I work hard because I’m grateful.

Why Gratitude is So Hard for People

Thankfully, I was raised by parents who made sure this trait was instilled in my mindset and DNA, but I have overwhelming empathy for those who didn’t. One of the reasons I chose gratitude as one of the 12.5 emotional ingredients is because I see so many people struggling to grasp it and underrating its value.

Why is that?

1. They’re Looking Up Instead of Down

There are several reasons people lack gratitude for what they have. A big one is that they’re not quantifying their luck and realizing just how fucking hard it is to actually become a human being. Add on to that other factors, like being born in America, or having good parents, or living in a safe neighborhood, for example, and you realize you’re actually doing pretty great. This problem is best summed up by a line in chapter one:

If you have any doubts at all about just how good you actually have it, watch this video of me reading an excerpt from my book. Then, watch it again…and watch it every day until it clicks

2. They’re Dwelling or Complaining

Another reason people struggle with gratitude is that they’re too busy complaining. Everything is everybody else’s fault or just the end of the world. The truth is, people give too much power to their mistakes by replaying them over and over. Enough of this “fail” stuff – you didn’t fail. It’s just a minor setback.

Life isn’t so permanent and your supposed failures aren’t fatal. In fact, they’re awesome because they give you context and learnings to execute against later on. Of course it’s hard to see what you have to be grateful for when you’ve convinced yourself that everything is make or break. Stop dwelling, stop complaining, and stop looking back. It’s messing with your neck.

I understand that some people might genuinely be going through hard times. They might truly be looking at some bleak circumstances. To those people who feel like they can’t be grateful because times are rough, I would ask this question: What is the alternative?

The real reality is, if you’ve decided that life is too bleak, I’m asking you for the solution. People are obsessed with complaining for the sake of complaining, without trying to come up with a productive answer. The problem with that is, nobody’s listening to you anyway, unless it’s another upset person.

This is why happiness finds happiness and darkness finds darkness. If everybody right now who thinks about the single person they know that is the most unhappy – most likely somebody in your family or a very good friend – they’d realize that person only interacts with two people: a) somebody else who is just as unhappy or b) an extremely positive person who enables them to be unhappy.

The point is that you’ll get more of what you’re looking for…and gratitude is a lighter, more productive way to focus your energy and attention.

Their Relationship with Time is Fucked Up

I could go on…but the last reason I’ll give for why people don’t remain grateful is simply that they’re scared. They’re scared that they’re running out of time. They’re scared that their best years are behind them. To those people, I say stop freaking out about the time that has passed and start getting grateful for all the time you have left – because it’s more than you think.

I’m almost 46 years old. Guess what? I know I’m only just getting started. If that weren’t the case, I wouldn’t be devoting the next 40-50 years of my life to solidifying VeeFriends IP in society and culture. I set big goals because I’m grateful that time is on my side. It’s why I’m so patient…but more on that trait later on in this series.

Guys. If you take anything away from this blog or this book, let it be this. Over the next 45+ years of my life, these 12.5 traits will ebb and flow in terms of what I’m focused on…but right now, at this moment in time, it just felt like gratitude was the right one to open the book.

By its essence, gratitude is always pointing you in the right direction.

Gratitude and Perspective

Let’s go back to the odds of you being born…400 trillion to one. Stop and think about how ridiculous that is. You’re probably more likely to win the lottery 10 times in one lifetime than to become a human being. You’d have better odds winning 98 NBA Championships in a row. You could have been a tree, or a dog, or a rock. Now, how much better do you feel about your life? That’s the importance of gratitude and perspective.

Gratitude and perspective work hand in hand. Once you have perspective, you don’t look upward at the people doing “better” than you…you don’t dwell, you don’t complain, and you don’t waste more time thinking about the time you’ve already wasted. You gain a greater appreciation for the failures and mistakes because of the lessons you learned, and you move on to better execution.

Perspective really opens up your eyes to how much more grateful each of us could be. It’s not a matter of “glass half empty” or “glass half full”…it’s about being grateful even when there’s only one drop in the glass, because you know exactly what to do with it.

Key Ingredient

Whatever is bothering you right now, take a breath, be grateful for what is going well, and realize what you can and can’t control. If you can’t control something, let it go and focus on what you can control, which is how much and how often you deploy gratitude in your life.

It’s not just about having gratitude – you have to show it. What’s the best way to show your gratitude? – communicating it. Whether it’s with your family members or friends, your team members or coworkers, the best way to show people your gratitude is by saying it out loud and saying it often.

Thanks for reading. I really hope you enjoyed the first blog in the Road to Twelve and a Half series, and I hope you’re as pumped for the book release on November 16th as I am. For more information on the book as well as national and international pre-order links, check out Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success.

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Published on September 20, 2021 09:04

August 30, 2021

Overrated or Underrated: Fortnite, McDonald’s, Twitch, The Rock, Robinhood & More!

Hey guys. Overrated/Underrated is one of my favorite content series, and so I thought why not bring the latest episode blog-side? If you keep up with me on Instagram or YouTube, you already know the deal. If not, the rules are simple. DRock throws me a topic and I have to decide whether that person, place, or thing is overrated, underrated, or properly rated.

We’ve got some pretty hot takes in this one, so I hope you enjoy! Whether you agree or disagree with my opinion, I want to know about it. Get those Twitter-fingers ready

via GIPHY

Fortnite

Fortnite. The 2017 online video game currently played by millions of people – and the verdict is…

Fortnite is underrated. I will go to the grave saying that Fortnite will probably have two more spike moments in its culture. I’m predicting it right now: the reboot of Fortnite in 21 years in VR. Smash hit.

Anything white-hot for over 18 months can always be recalled as nostalgia. That’s why I think Fortnite is underrated right now. People think it’s declining, but I see the longer tail.

Mac Miller

This is an easy one…wildly underrated. Mac Miller was an incredible artist and a devastating loss to the culture. I was a fan and remain one today. Rest in peace, Mac.

Coding & Programming

Ten years ago, coding and programming was wildly underrated. Now, with more and more parents pushing their kids into it, there are more people doing it, it’s respected properly, it’s compensated properly, and it’s fundamental to society.

Fast and Furious Franchise

This is gonna be an emotional one for a lot of people out there, but I gotta go with overrated. I know it’s epic and The Rock and Vin Diesel are in it…but overrated. I’m ready for the comments on this one

S&P 500

I don’t do a lot of Wall Street stuff and this isn’t financial advice, but I’ll say I think S&P 500 is overrated. In light of everything going on with technology nowadays, I think there are a lot of other ways to do more interesting, even safer betting than the historic nature of investing like the S&P 500 and things in that lane. As we see more happening with crypto, alternative investing, and people building their own businesses, I just think I gotta go with overrated on this one.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson

The Rock is MASSIVELY underrated, especially now that he’s putting out a sitcom based on wrestling – I’m incredibly fired up. I think Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds are two individuals on earth that I admire and understand very well. They’re incredibly talented in film and TV acting, they’re very thoughtful, nice, and they’re real entrepreneurs building real businesses. Going straight to the moon.

Millennials

Millennials catch a lot of flack, but I gotta say they’re underrated. First of all, to all the “greatest generation” folks out there – looking at you, Boomers – YOU raised the millennials. So if you think they’re entitled, you created the entitlement ecosystem they exist in! Boomer parents complain to me about their millennial kids all the time because of my content, but I’m gonna have their back on this one. Underrated!

Ikea

Ikea is underrated because they have incredible execution, plenty of serviceable stuff; people love going there just for the experience of it.

Napping

I know the comments are gonna light up with this one. Napping is OVERRATED. What the fuck are you doing napping at 4pm? People love a good nap, but I’m just not on board.

1999 Pokemon Charizard Holo 1st Edition

This is a million dollar card, right here. Pokemon is an IP that sits at the highest level, so, the greatest Pokemon card in the world at the greatest condition? Definitely underrated.

McDonald’s

I gotta go with…properly rated. Here’s what I would say. I love the chicken nuggets from 20 years ago so much that I can’t breathe. They’ve made them healthier over the years, but I like the bad stuff. Delicious.

Ceviche

WILDLY underrated – I could live on ceviche. All kinds of ceviche, gimme a little jalapeño and I’m good.

Twitch

Another one that’s easily underrated. Anyone who doesn’t understand the power and impact of Twitch as a platform isn’t getting it.

Robinhood

While I don’t use Robinhood personally, I know it was incredibly underrated for a lot of people recently. Then, everyone got mad at it with the GameStop situation…I don’t have a good enough lead on it, so I gotta go with properly rated.

Rosé Wine

As a whole? Overrated. Now, Empathy Rosé is the shit but overall, rosé is too hyped right now. I’m gonna give it slightly overrated. There are so many epic $20 white wines that people are not discovering right now because everyone’s looking for rosé.

New Balance

I like New Balances – underrated.

Taco Tuesday

Who doesn’t like a good taco? Let’s go with properly rated – don’t even have to think about it.

Fiverr

Underrated. Fiverr is a very good platform, especially for a lot of entrepreneurs.

Record Labels

Overrated.

Dua Lipa

Properly rated.

AJ Vaynerchuk

AJ is underrated, and here’s why. I know that competitiveness is the secret. It’s what allows people like Tom Brady and Michael Jordan to exist. I have it, and it’s obvious; AJ has it equally, and it’s not obvious. So, I think he’s underrated for his competitiveness because I know that’s the secret ingredient to the whole fucking game. AJ is a good man!

Rubik’s Cube

I’m gonna go with underrated for one reason. During an episode of AskGaryVee, Logic sat down with me and solved a Rubik’s Cube in like 3 seconds. To this day, I still love that. Also, my cousin Bobby, who I love very much and who I worked with every day at Wine Library, was the first person I ever saw do a Rubik’s Cube. Shoutout to Bobby.

Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is the most capitalistic, manufactured holiday to come out of thin fucking air. That brilliance alone makes it underrated.

Jay-Z

Are you kidding me? Jay-Z is underrated. Hip-hop is as important to society as it gets, which means it’ll be around forever, and Jay-Z is one of the 5-15 most important humans to ever be involved in it. He’s a business icon; somebody who is in his 50s right now that is as cool as anybody in society if he walks in the room. That’s pretty fucking cool. Underrated.

That brings us to the end of last week’s Over/Under. Check out the full episode below and if you have any strong opinions on any of my ratings, shoot me a comment on Instagram or tag me on Twitter.

The post Overrated or Underrated: Fortnite, McDonald’s, Twitch, The Rock, Robinhood & More! appeared first on GaryVaynerchuk.com.

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Published on August 30, 2021 10:03

August 25, 2021

Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success

Hey everyone. Get ready for my best book yet…

As many of you know, I’ve been working hard on my upcoming release, and I’m so excited for you all to read it. Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success is my sixth business book, but I can confidently say it’s unlike anything else you’ve seen thus far – even from me! I went deep into my feelings on this one, and I think I’ve really gotten to the core of what a lot of people need to hear to be successful not only in business, but in life. That being said, I hope you’ll join me this Friday, August 27th at 4pm ET for a very special announcement.

Tune in LIVE for more details on the book itself, as well as a new initiative I know will bring value to so many of you. You can catch the livestream on a variety of social platforms, all listed below:

This is going to be a HUGE announcement and I’m so hyped to share it. So, I only have one question…do you know where you’ll be on Friday at 4pm??

via GIPHY

Hint: It’ll be a limited time promo – you won’t wanna miss out Hope to see you there!

Announcement Details

This section will be updated on Friday, 8/27 after the livestream announcement at 4pm ET.

The post Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success appeared first on GaryVaynerchuk.com.