The Worst Regret Is Not Swinging the Bat

Hey guys. Uh, I know I look like the emperor from uh Star Wars right now, but I'm uh very high in the air back from London headed to uh New York City. I decided to do a uh video um mainly because I've caught up with my email and I don't like wasting time and I figured, you know, it's 2012. It's early. Boy, my eyebrows look insane. Um, it's early in the year and I figured uh it's almost February. Uh, I'm clearly not excited about uh football. Uh, Super Bowl's coming up and I figured, you know what? Why don't I rant, make a little Gary Vaynerchuk. com video, see if I can bring any value. Just read a bunch of emails. I get a lot of emails from entrepreneurs who, you know, are looking for advice, trying to figure out how to make it, you know, and I think about a lot of things, especially on these flights when I get a lot done and I'm just thinking, thinking about my life, thinking about what I want to accomplish and figured, you know, hit record, see what comes out of this, see if there's any value for anybody. Um, [clears throat] I think people underestimate DNA a lot. You know, I think that, uh, a lot of my success happens because I was born with it. I also think that uh people underestimate how insanely obvious it is for some people and how murky it is for others. What I mean by that is it's always been obvious to me. what caused success, what I needed to do. You know, every time I watch content through the internet or on television, I watched Oprah the other night. Lizzie was watching it. I was working. She was interviewing George Lucas and he was saying the same [ __ ] I always say. Same [ __ ] I hear from everybody who wins, you know, I think the fear of losing trumps the excitement of victory for so many people. I think people are so scared. You know, it's kind of like hitting on girls. You know, I uh I get it, right? Because I kind of was more scared of hitting on girls than I was in winning in business. I was much more fearless in executing business models than I was about going up to a girl and getting shot down. Nobody wants the rejection. Nobody wants to lose. So, I understand the philosophy. I understand that string of DNA that doesn't want to make you lose. Um, but I'm so desperate to figure out how to convince people that there is no loss in going for it. that yeah, you might get made fun of and you might have it in your own mind, but trying to figure out how to make people drop that fear of going and building a business for themselves in 2012. try to figure out how to make a video or give a talk or send a tweet or write a book, just something that makes people understand that executing the way it always is, following the school business model, which is such horshit, is going to lead you to a place where you're not going to win. Um, or that is a place where you're going to win. Meaning, some people are meant to be B and C players. Some of you were not meant to, you know, go out and win. You know, I think this whole like if you try it will come to you. It's such horseshit. I'm worried that people are confused that, you know, effort or the secret or hustle is enough because it's not. It's part of the equation. But talent and skills and the ability to work hard and having thick skin, do you know how obnoxiously thick my skin is when it comes to business? I don't give a [ __ ] what anybody says about me or thinks of me or thinks what I'm doing when it comes to business because I trust my intuition one quadrillion%. I know that I'm built to win when it comes to business. I always win. I'm going to win. And people that don't understand my style or don't think that I'm doing the right thing or think that Vayner Media is a dumb idea cuz it's, you know, it's a it's client services, they just don't know me. They don't understand what I'm going to do. They don't understand that it's early. People just don't understand how early it is. I'm 36. I'm a kid. You know, [ __ ] Would I want to be 25 like AJ? [ __ ] yeah. But I'm 36. In six years, I'll be 42. Do you know how much I'm going to do in the next six years? I just worry that people don't have patience. I tap into their strengths. My strengths is that I tell stories. My strength is that I understand people. how to build organizations to succeed. My strength is that I understand that people is what are what the foundation of any business is. My strength is that I give a crap. Yeah, I care about myself more, but I actually care about you as well. My strength is that I'm a communicator

that I'm showman, that I know how to brand, that I'm willing to work ridiculously hard, that I have intuition on where things are going, that I work tirelessly to listen to people that I think know where things are going, that I engage, that I genuinely care, that I'm willing to sit here right now and make this video hoping that one [ __ ] says, "Oh shit. " Yeah. Like, [ __ ] it. [ __ ] mom. [ __ ] Professor Tom. [ __ ] what the intuition of other people is. I'm going to listen to mine, the establishment, the blueprint. [ __ ] all that. Just going to listen to myself. Listen to yourself always wins. Do I have angst? Sure. I'm calling out myself every day for the last six or seven years, telling everybody I'm going to buy the Jets. I got to roll Billy's deep. 36, getting older, worrying about like the time, but still betting on patience, betting on I've been right, betting that I get better every year, betting that the 2006 version of me that was so cocky, that rolled with massive bravado is a punk compared to the 2012 version of me because that's a truth. I keep getting better. I'm betting on that I continue to listen, continue to stay humble while still being obnoxiously confident. I'm betting that the world's changing and I'm paying attention, understanding that you got to play that money ball game, which means data is the game, but putting EQ on top of that matters. Betting that all the good that I'm trying to give everybody comes back to me. That somebody that I affected opens a door for me. betting that the people I'm networking with now on a daily basis from 900 p. m. to 2 in the morning open up doors, open up opportunities, open up my mind. Betting that the work I put in operationally on Vayner Media is going to pay dividends. Is it sexy? No. Am I turning down things like TV? Yes. Am I less famous, a little more quiet, a little more off the grid? Absolutely. Am I happy that I'm executed and that I'm making [ __ ] happen and I'm building a business? One quadrillion%. betting on a lot of things, my friends. but most of all, betting on my community. Community is the last great asset. When you play all these chess moves out, it's going to be the only thing left. The people that give a [ __ ] about you and the people that you give a [ __ ] about. And they're going to open up the opportunities, the doors, the business opportunities, the life opportunities. And I'll always bet on that. I believe in that till the end. And so I sit here and give this 7 minute 37 second rant to you because I think real and authentic and honest matters. I think I'm good enough to win and I think you're at your level. Am I going to win at the ultimate biggest guy of all time, Gates, Zucks, Buffett? Probably not. Am I more charismatic and loving and more interesting than those characters? I think so. Do I have enough to get me to a billy? I think so. But is that 40 billion? No. Are you good enough to get to 100,000, 400,000? I think so. Just sat here and read a 100 emails from people that were making 40, 50k, 30k, read crushing, red, thank you, economy, got inspired by me, but I was a spark. I was the one that had that insane thing that I have in me that made them say, "Hm. " You know, things that make you go, "Hm, '8s reference. Sorry. " But then they had it in them. And so when I make this video, what's coming from my heart right now is maybe you're watching this and saying, "Hm, maybe I need to hedge. " You know, if you work from 8:00 p. m. to 4 in the morning, will your dreams come true? No. You might not be good enough. You might have not picked the right product. But are we living in a world 2012 that's so much better than your parents and grandparents and great-grandparents generation? Because [ __ ] like me can make videos when I'm 30,000 [ __ ] feet in the air. Yes. And because of that, and because of those opportunities, and because we'reworked in a way we've never seen before, and because sending an email to 100 people and one will answer and give you a shot matters. Because of that opportunity, because of 2012, I beg you, I beg you to take a shot. Roll up on that hot chick in a bar and ask her out. Roll up on that good-looking dude and ask him for coffee. Roll up on your business idea and make it happen. Because being 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and having regrets that you didn't swing the bat is the worst of them all. Our at bat is in front of us. Take a swing.