Summary

Gary Vaynerchuk clarifies his stance on "hustle culture," emphasizing happiness and personal ambition over burnout and excessive work.

Abstract

The article addresses common misconceptions about Gary Vaynerchuk's philosophy on work ethic, particularly the idea that one must work relentlessly for 15-18 hours a day to achieve success. Vaynerchuk's actual message promotes finding happiness in one's life and aligning actions with personal ambitions. He encourages individuals to put in the necessary work to achieve their goals, especially if they aspire to the top 1% lifestyle, but also acknowledges that happiness is the ultimate return on investment, not money. The article uses memes to contrast what people think Vaynerchuk advocates with his actual views, highlighting that his advice is not a one-size-fits-all prescription for success. It also touches on the importance of self-awareness in entrepreneurship, the reality that not everyone is suited for business ownership, and the notion that sacrificing sleep and family time is not a requisite for success.

Opinions

Gary Vaynerchuk's "hustle" message is often misunderstood; it's not about working to the point of burnout but about being happy and not complaining.
His advice is targeted at those who are unhappy or not backing up their ambitions with actions, emphasizing that one's actions should match their aspirations.
Entrepreneurship is not for everyone, and it's more enjoyable to excel in one's strengths than to pursue a path one is not suited for.
Success does not require sacrificing sleep or family time; it's about maximizing the time spent when not engaged in these essential activities.
Vaynerchuk's work ethic is extreme and personal to his goal of buying the New York Jets, and he does not expect everyone to replicate his level of hustle.
The portrayal of entrepreneurship as "cool" can lead to people pursuing it without the necessary talent or resilience, and it's important to recognize when to pivot or persist in business endeavors.

Gary Vaynerchuk’s Thoughts on “Hustle Porn” (Told Through Memes)

My team put this article together and I wanted to share it with you all :) Enjoy!

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A lot of people misunderstand Gary’s message on “hustling” and “working your face off.”

Ultimately, Gary’s message is about being happy with your life and getting to a place where you don’t feel the need to complain. Not working yourself to the point of burnout or unhappiness.

In this article, we wanted to create some more context on what he actually means vs what people think it means. And we felt like doing it with memes ;)

What People Think Gary Means: “If You’re Not Working 15–18 Hours a Day, You’re Not Doing Enough With Your Life.”

What Gary Actually Means:

If you’re not complaining, Gary’s got nothing to say to you!

The advice he’s giving is really just for people who are unhappy, complaining, or talking a big game but aren’t backing it up with their actions. Ultimately, your actions need to map to your ambitions.

If you want to build a business that “funds” your lifestyle, you’re aspiring to a top 1% life… which means it’s going to take a ridiculous amount of hard work to get there. It’s going to take a long time of paying your dues — that might mean giving up leisure after your day job or getting up a little earlier than you normally do.

But if you’re watching Netflix and playing video games all day and you’re genuinely happy, that’s awesome

Happiness is the ultimate ROI, not money. Do you

What People Think Gary is Saying: “You Should All Be Trying to Work As Much as I Work.”

What Gary Actually Means:

Gary loves the process of building businesses, which is why he set a goal to buy the New York Jets, a multi-billion dollar sports team. DailyVee is just Gary’s way of documenting his journey of getting there as an entrepreneur.

But Gary’s an extreme personality. You shouldn’t try to imitate Gary’s work ethic, or even start your own business unless you’re self-aware about who you are and what you want.

What People Think Gary is Saying: “It Takes Years and Years to be Successful. You Shouldn’t Give Up On Your Business.”

What Gary Actually Means:

Entrepreneurship is “cool” right now, and there are so many people who are trying to be entrepreneurs who aren’t cut out for it.

Not everyone should be spending years trying to build a business — a lot of people just aren’t talented enough or “cut out” for the pressure and stress that comes with entrepreneurship.

And that’s okay! It’s a lot more fun to go all in on what you’re good at than being delusional about your skills.

What People Think Gary is Saying: “I Have to Sacrifice Sleep and Family Time to be Succesful.”

What Gary Actually Means:

If you need 7–8 hours of sleep a night, that’s totally cool. You don’t need to sacrifice sleep to build your business or side hustle.

It’s not about the time you spend sleeping, commuting to work, or spending time with family. It’s about what you’re doing in the hours when you’re not doing those things. And if you do want to spend more time relaxing during your day, that’s great!

Just be aware that you’ll be leaving business upside on the table, which could be completely fine depending on your ambition.

We’ve seen a growing number of articles and comments talking about Gary’s points of view on hustle and hard work, so we wanted to take some time to address those concerns and create context around what he’s actually saying.

Ultimately… Gary’s not trying to push anyone to live a life they don’t want to live. He’s just putting “pressure” on people to stop complaining and get to a happier state of mind

Thank you all for reading and following Gary’s journey!

— Team GaryVee

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Gary Vaynerchuk’s Actual Thoughts on Hustle was originally posted on GaryVaynerchuk.com on 12/13/2018.

This story is published in The Startup, Medium’s largest entrepreneurship publication followed by +399,714 people.

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