Gary Vaynerchuk IS NOT TRYING to kill you!
Hey, Jon Westenberg, I read your article about Gary here in Medium. I loved it. I read all of your articles here. I think you are incredible. Awesome work. You point your arguments and defend your thesis. But honestly, I do not entirely agree with what you wrote.
Nope. Gary IS NOT TRYING to kill you. He is an inspiration for everyone who wants to build something on his own. Gary is a real motivator for me and for many people. I’m sure about that. He makes you think about different aspects of business and life. Gives practical tips that really work. I tried many of them. The #AskGaryVee Show is one of my favorite contents on the internet. Really. And again… Gary is not trying to kill you.
I understand that you’re not trying to attack him, but rather your idea is different. But I’m also, not trying to attack you with this article in response to yours. Rather, I’ll share something with you in Gary’s defense.
Hell, I know and realize how hard and bad it is for your health to work over 15–16 hours a day. I’ve been there. I get that. Also, I understand that this may have a super negative effect on your mental health. But the truth is, this thing is not for everyone. A very small percentage of people are capable of doing so. And Gary knows that. Very few people are able to sacrifice their little pleasures at the moment, for the great pleasure in the long run. Most people play a short-term game.
Working a whole day from 9 to 5, and then getting back home and working to build something for yourself is not for everybody. This is for those who have that flame in themselves. The thing that makes them suffer now, because they know that in the future it will bring them a much better life.
There is no other way. We can not expect to go to work every day and try to save the little cash that is left after paying the bills. We can’t expect to become millionaires from the lottery. It’s not easy to get rich. You have to work hard. There is no other way.
One of my mentors once told me:
Most of the successful people create an eighth business day with the right ordering of tasks. Normally, most people work from 9 to 5, five days a week. But, the real entrepreneurs work more than 12 hours per day, 6–7 days a week. They get up in 6–7 in the morning and start working immediately — emails, organizing the day and etc. Or for a normal work week, they work like 12 working days for ordinary people. That’s why some people earn 12 000 dollars and others — 120 000 dollars per year.
What Gary is talking about is not for everyone. If you can’t work for 14–15 hours, that’s not for you. But if you don’t want to work for someone else your whole life - you have to take the things in your own hands.
