The Reason You're Lacking Motivation & Inspiration l Sydney 2023 Keynote

You have to [ __ ] understand this. You do not hate yourself. You do not think you suck. You just got unfortunate that somebody in your life created that framework. Sydney, what's good? Thank you. So happy to be here. Very good. Sit.

Many people here today in the pre-event survey said that their biggest issue was finding motivation and inspiration. What are your thoughts on this? Well, you can't be motivated when you don't like it. I got D's and Fs my whole life cuz I [ __ ] hated school. Like, I'm telling you, man, the world's got it upside down. The quickest way to buy the things that people think they want is to like what they do. But everyone thinks it's the other way around. Let me chase the money, then I'll have it, then I'll be happy. You are very wrong because I know unlimited miserable as [ __ ] millionaires.

One of the things you said recently was that there were two ways to build something great. Either you have deep levels of insecurity that you use as fuel or a deep level of confidence. Can you expand on that? Yeah, I think the things that when people look at people accomplishing wealth or s or commercial success, it's just very obvious that the fuels are very opposite. It's like it's almost like Star Wars had it all figured out, right? Like the, you know, the force and the dark side are actually very close, but in the end, good wins. And I believe that I think most people achieve big things from a heavy driver of deep insecurity. They're going to [ __ ] show the world, [ __ ] you, mom and dad, and the world. And they just it just drives them. And I think there's another energy which is rare is they just love everything and everybody and it just like the love drives them. And so it's a simple game of love and hate. And the more extreme you are on those two energies, the more you've got fuel to create commercial success. The issue is if you build your financial and commercial success through insecurity and darkness, it's not sustainable once you get there. The reason there are so many people in the world that have made but then lost is because that's what happened to them. And so I just feel like a lot of people get to a mountain that they put on a pedestal and then they get there and it's really bad. And so this is why I'm so passionate about self-esteem and self-awareness and all the [ __ ] I talk about because I'm old enough now to have watched a lot. I've lived in a lot of rooms. I've been in all sorts of places from the dirt to the penthouse and it's just very clear to me what life's about and how everybody's interacting and I just want people to be happier cuz it feels nice

for you. Did the confidence and self-esteem come naturally from parenting you received or did you build that over time? I think it was like this is why it's so fun for me to like talk about things I do. I don't think it has anything to do with me. It was all built. I'm the byproduct of my parents and my environment. You know, when people are like, "Gary Ve, you're awesome. " I'm like, "Cool. " Like, when people are like, "I'm super detached from Gary Vee. " That what did I do? I didn't have sex that night. My parents did. Right. And then my parents made me, my parents groomed me. My mom is an all-time human being. like to, you know, the number one challenge for everybody in this room as a parent is, are you willing to build self-esteem into your children without it becoming delusion? How do you make somebody confident but not entitled? feel like they can be anything while having humility? That's some [ __ ] gangster [ __ ] and Tamara Vaynerchuk did that with ease with me. Then there was also the compounding fact that we got to leave the Soviet Union. We came to America, you know, like I was an 80s baby. You know, I don't know if my mom was parenting me today in this new world where parents are all up in their [ __ ] kids [ __ ] Would I be the same person? Because the other thing that made me was not tomorrow. It was the streets of Edison, New Jersey. Like I think that who I am today would be different if I didn't get into fights in middle school, right? I think one of the biggest problems in the world is I think kids should be fighting each other more. I'm not joking. I think we're overcoddling our children so much that like I believe my epic trilogy of fights with Oed Weintock in Edison, New Jersey in the 80s shaped me. Like I grew up, you know, the reason everyone's talking so much [ __ ] on social media is when we talk [ __ ] in the 80s in New Jersey, somebody might punch you in the [ __ ] mouth. So you were conscious of the [ __ ] that came out of your mouth. Now everyone's a [ __ ] keyboard warrior and thinks they're a [ __ ] tough guy.

On the note of keyboard warriors, how do you recommend that someone responds emotionally to those comments? Let me pin you a scenario. You wake up and you grab your phone and you start consuming content and you see something and you decide to make somebody feel bad cuz you leave a shitty comment on their content. Could you imagine a worse existence? It's simple. Like if somebody's [ __ ] on you in the comments and says you're stupid or you're ugly or you're this and the that, don't feel bad for you, feel bad for them. I don't know. I deal with it very easily. But you also have to be careful. The biggest reason people struggle with negative comments is because they believe the positive comments. The reason I'm able to deal with so much negative comments is because when people say I'm the greatest, I don't believe them either. The reason so many people are vulnerable is they have selective enjoyment of the comments. When people say you're awesome, you're like, "Yeah, which means when people say you're [ __ ] you're like, "Yeah. " And for me, I just don't believe it at all in either direction. I'm not here for the validation or the tear down. I'm here for the process.

So, the competition in the game of business, is that what you call the process? Yeah, I love the game of business. I love sports. Sports is the best because there's a score and somebody won, you know? Like I love that [ __ ] Um it's why I hate eighth place trophies. Like you're teaching kids that losing is bad when it's great. Like I love when kids cry when they lose. I'm being dead serious. You show me a 9-year-old who starts crying the second they've lost, I'll show you a kid that I'm ready to hire on the [ __ ] spot. People like, "Don't be a sore sport. " They [ __ ] care. We're like, we're like trying to like suck out all the good [ __ ] Like, I love sore sport. Show me a kid that loses and then pushes the other kid. I'm like, that kid's got it. Don't reprimand them. Clap for them. Um, I really believe in some of these dynamics. I like competition. I But you if you love the game, like one of the things that's interesting about loving the game the way I do, you have to love it more than your own self. This all leads to the thing I spend a lot of time on, which is we are living in the greatest era of nonaccountability of all time. It's the algorithm's fault. It's your parents' fault. It's the government's fault. When the [ __ ] is it your fault? The single reason I'm happy every day is I think everything's my fault. If I'm unhappy, I can do something about it. You're mad at the government, move. No, really. We're in [ __ ] Australia. So, if you really hate what the [ __ ] is going on, leave. Like sitting around the table and [ __ ] on politicians when you're not even voting is some [ __ ]

For the people that want to get started in building their reputation or brand, what are some of the steps that they can take if they're too nervous to even get in front of the camera? You know, I think look, some people struggle with the camera and that's okay. Like maybe you can write or maybe you can audio. Um but if you're going to go in front of the camera, talk about what you know. But you don't need to be an expert. You're the expert of your life experiences. You can talk about anything. And I'd highly recommend talking about stuff that you're interested in because it becomes sustainable. Mo a lot of people fail because they talk about [ __ ] they think money will be in. You know, the amount of people that I've physically watched in the last four years go from cannabis experts to NFT experts to real estate experts. I mean, these [ __ ] now they're [ __ ] AI experts. I mean, like [ __ ] The only thing they're experts at is sucking. And because it's selfish that when you put expert in your name, it's almost immediately an indicator that you want other people's money.

Why do you think people sometimes reach a burnout state? Burnout's complicated. Um, look, I the theme of this talk so far before we go into Q& A, I think people burn out because they're not doing their thing, right? Like we all burn out when like I if you asked me to hang a picture right now on a wall, I'd be burned out by the time I got to the hammer. That's not my thing. I don't want to do that [ __ ] right? Like, I'm exhausted. I can work 19 hours a day. I could literally do this in front of this audience for the next 48 hours straight and not sleep. You ask me to go walk a dog, I'll be sleeping within the first second. I don't want to do that. So, I think the reason people burn out is because they're not doing their thing. Normally, people are not doing their thing because they got trapped by the money. Either the chase of it or they're making and now they're living within the means of that money and they're stuck. They're like, "Gary, I can't quit my job. " I'm like, "You could if you decided to stop spending the same amount of money that you spend on yourself. You could sell your house. You could. But nobody wants to go backwards. Meanwhile, they're mentally backwards every day. People are not going backwards financially, moving back in with their parents, selling their ship, stop. They're not going backwards financially to be unhappy their whole lives. Do you know how [ __ ] up that is? And nobody's talking about this [ __ ] in a real way because everything's been commercialized. People are literally like unhappy so they can buy a Louis Vuitton bag which gives them a boost for about an hour and a half and then they're back to being [ __ ] miserable.

A big theme that you mentioned in your book 12 and a half is cander. Can you explain that a little bit? You know, my great struggle in the first 40 plus years of my life was being canderous, which is ironic because on stage I'm a beast. This has been a great 15 minutes of cander. But one-on-one, the more I cared about you, the less I was likely to be canderous. And that really is the true personality trait that has led to the most unhappiness and most detriment in my career. And so I myself what I'm good at. I marketed to myself and I created a concept and a word called kind. And by looking at cander as something that had kindness in it, it's really changed the way I've acted. And so I think for a lot of people in this room, they have a lot of resentment towards people and things not working because they haven't been able to actually tell the truth of how they actually feel. This is why couples therapy works. This is, you know, it gives a framework of safety to be canderous. This is why cander is very powerful and I really demonized it because my father is actually very canderous but the way he would deliver it was extremely negative. today. It's something I'm much better at and it has had a humongous positive effect on my life, my ability to up my tander game. I'm still a four or five out of 10, but going from a one or two out of 10, it's been a big difference. And I highly recommend for the people in this room who struggle with cander to really try to start practicing. It hurts. Saying things to people that you really care about that are negative is just so foreign to me. But it is uh it's been a huge addition to my life and I'm glad I have it and I'm going to keep working on it.

it. Are there any tips that you've used to begin those conversations with staff members or family members? I don't know if you were scared to swim or ride a bike or have your first kiss, but like you know it's just one of those games where you just got to [ __ ] go. Like that's still how cander is for me. like up to the second where I call an employee to tell them they're in big trouble and they may not make it here. Like my stomach is like this sucks, [ __ ] this, you know? Um, but you just got to jump and that's where it's crazy. It's practice. It's no different than push-ups or anything you do. Like the more practice you get better at it. It's crazy to me in these last three years how much easier it is for me to go there. I mean, it used to I used to like not sleep the night before by telling an employee that they were fired. It would kill me. Like kill me. It's the hardest part of being a business owner by far for me in my career, firing people. It's the worst. And so it I don't have that same level anxiety anymore. I'm better at it. Um I also bless you. I also think we're doing a better job as an organization of giving feedback along the way so they're not shocked. The problem with cander in a business environment is if you don't give it at all, you're just stunning people. And I was the worst of the worst. Not only would I not tell you that you were struggling for the last 6 months. I was [ __ ] doing the reverse. There'd be people where I'm like, "This is the worst employee I've ever had. Let's call him Johnny. " I'd be like, "Johnny [ __ ] sucks. " Like I'd be in a meeting with like a heart leader and be like Johnny's [ __ ] trash. I'd go to the bathroom and see Johnny be like, "Johnny, keep up the great [ __ ] work. " And I'm like, "Fuck, why am I doing that? " And then like next, you know, like Johnny, you're killing it. And then like next Tuesday, I'm like, "Johnny, we got to let you go. " He's like, "Motherfucker, you told me I was killing it Friday. " I'm like, "I know. I'm sorry. " Like it was just Yes. [ __ ] I'm happy that era is gone. A tough 25 years. It was really it was I it's it was really I like using crypto. I because I really am lucky. I do feel like I have super manlike characteristics when it comes to business and life. I'm really fortunate. [ __ ] am I fortunate. But that [ __ ] that was a [ __ ] scarlet letter and it is absolutely where all my personal pain comes in my life professionally and personally. And I'm really glad I'm building in the other direction. And I think for any of you, whatever personality trait you're struggling with, like you're not tricking anyone. You know, I think a big thing that people need to hear. You might be thinking that you're disguising your insecurity. You might trick the 98%, but you're not tricking the real ones. So, stop posturing and start working on it. You need to really quickly realize that if you're And by the way, most people sitting here beat themselves up and don't love themselves, but you need to realize it. It's actually Let's have a real moment. No [ __ ] I know this is hard, but do this for me cuz I'm feeling something. On some real [ __ ] how many people feel in this room by a show of hands that they beat themselves up and they're their toughest critic and they [ __ ] on themselves? Raise your hand. Now, this is very important. You have to hear this. It's not you. You don't [ __ ] on yourself. Someone put that in you. You have to understand this. You don't hate yourself. You don't think you suck. You're not the impostor. You're not insecure. Somebody taught you that. The second you understand that truth, you can understand that you do love yourself. You start find it. And this is very important. And you have to [ __ ] understand this. You do not hate yourself. You do not think you suck. You just got unfortunate that somebody in your life created that framework. But before you're pissed at your mom or your dad, this is very important. This is why my favorite quote from VCON this year, which was, "Fuck your grandparents," is very important. As I'm watching people get emotional in the crowd, don't get mad at your parents because somebody did that to them. You understand? Please, you I'm telling you, you don't hate yourself. You don't think you're [ __ ] It was put in you. And you've got to start the process of understanding you do love yourself. That somebody else's judgment on themselves created your framework of judging yourself. And you can get out of this [ __ ] hole. And then once that happens, once you love yourself, it's [ __ ] game over. When I tell you when you love yourself, everything's good. Nothing's scary. It's all gravy. You're winning good. You're losing good. This good, that good. I remember when like, man, when you love yourself, I remember growing up if like a girl didn't like me back, I'm like, you [ __ ] up.

What are some social media tactics that you would recommend right now? Facebook reels. You know, if you're not posting on Facebook reels and you're only posting on Instagram andor Tik Tok, you're making a huge mistake. There's a wide open space of attention on Facebook reels. LinkedIn, most people are not posting on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is acting like Facebook uh did 10 years ago. Those two stand out tremendously. The third one is the concept of creating frameworks so you can get content. meaning doing a podcast, not so the podcast gets to be super successful, but because you're doing a podcast, you're able to get three or four pieces of content for your social, right? As a lot of you know that follow me, my I'm not I don't make content. I'm just like, you know, Julian's filming right now and like I speak for the content. I podcast for the content. And so putting yourself in a position I do tea with Gary Vee which I'm thinking about bringing back for the content