Wise Bread Picks
At one point in our lives, we all pick a path: do we go with a career we're passionate about or do we pick a career that makes financial sense?
Money or happiness?
For the lucky few out there that have managed to do what they love while getting paid well for it — I salute you. For the rest of us, I offer a glimmer of hope thanks to web sensation Gary Vaynerchuk (please note that he uses strong language in some parts):
(Direct Link)
Let's take a look at some of the gems Gary drops in the video.
On Passion
Look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself, "What do I want to do every day for the rest of my life?" Do that. I promise you can monetize that.
Gary answered that question by bringing wine to the masses via his site, Wine Library TV, in his own unique style — and he has managed to monetize it. He's even gotten a book deal out of it. His job is now his passion.
But the question remains — is "do what you love" good advice or are people like Gary an anomaly? Can the average person take what they're passionate about and make a living off of it?
I'm stuck on this question because it just feels too cheesy and idealistic to serve as good advice for young people. It sounds good in theory, but when it comes time to pay the bills, save for retirement, and all the real-world things that are a part of life...it just doesn't jive.
It's terrible advice if you follow it so narrowly. But listen closely to what Gary is saying — there's more to it than that..
On Patience
17 months. I did Wine Library TV. 5 days a week.
Gary started his site on the side — after his day job. It was a lot of work and it probably had some real miserable times, but in the end it paid off for him. Doing what you love doesn't necessarily mean you're doing it at work, it just means you're doing it somewhere. For the vast majority of us, it'll be after work.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
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On Hustle
And just keep hustling. Hustle is the most important word, ever, and that's what you need to do. You need to work so hard. If you want this, if you're miserable, or if you don't like it or you want to do something else and you have a passion somewhere else, work 9–5, spend a couple hours with your family, 7 to 2 in the morning is plenty of time to do damage. But that's it. It's not going to happen any other way.
"I don't have time" isn't an excuse anymore — working hard and sleeping less can overcome all obstacles. Gary did it for 17 months — what's your excuse?
On Happiness
If you for a second, a half a second, don't believe in what you're doing — whether it's your personal brand or the product you represent — you need to get out now. We only get to place this game one time. One life.
I close with the most idealistic sounding Gary quote in the video because it's the most important thing he says. Start with what fires you up inside. If what you're doing doesn't fire you up, you won't be able to sleep for 4 hours a day for a 17-month stretch. You have to love it to endure that kind of pain.
It takes guts to drop everything else, but in time — with enough work and hustle — it can be done.
Do you know what you want to do every day for the rest of your life?
P.S. I read an interview with Michael Buffer yesterday and his story is pretty amazing. He managed to do something he was keen on (boxing introductions) and ended up world famous and world rich because of it. All thanks to one, itty-bitty phrase — how amazing is that?
