Discover the Power of a Growth Mindset | 16 Minutes with Gary Vee

If you're a fan of Gary Vaynerchuk and you're looking for ways to not worry about being judged, change your environment, and not overthink things, then this video is for you.

People try to build the biggest building in town by tearing everybody else's building down. When you have enough talent to just build the biggest building, you just build the biggest building. I could give a fuck about anybody else. I'm doing me. You know, like those cliché things, like if you want to get to the top of mountain, it's like one step at a time. I believe in that shit. Who you surround yourself matters. What content you consume matters.

What's up, Believe Nation? It's Evan. My one word is believe, and I believe in you. I believe you have an amazing gift inside you that I wanna see explode out onto the world. I started the Mentor Me series to try to hang around people who've done a lot more than us, and hopefully by spending a little more time with them, some of their mindset, their belief system, their way of thinking seeps into us to help us become the best version of ourselves. So today we're gonna learn from one of the best, Gary Vaynerchuk, and some of his best motivation for 2018. Mentor me, Gary.

I only want one thing for people that I have. Really, outside of health, the only thing I wish for people is them to love what they do as much as I do. When I do new podcasts or new video shows, I love reading the comments of the audience that don't know me. Inevitably, 5% of the audience will leave a comment that refers to drugs. If they wanna be really snarky, they'll say, you know, cocaine, Ritalin, you know. They think that I'm on something, and I always reply because I've never tried smoking a cigarette, let alone done Adderall. I reply with grat— so they'll say cocaine, and I'll reply gratitude. I'm so grateful that I do what I love every day, and what I love for clarification is just being an entrepreneur, playing, the challenges, the risk, the excitement. But you're also high on your own energy. You have tremendous energy. I have tremendous energy because it builds momentum. When you're doing what you want to be doing for a long period of time, it builds momentum. I didn't have the same energy in school. I hated school. I was optimistic, I was high energy, that's my DNA, but not like this. This is now a supernova because now I'm 20 years into being in my zone. The breath of fresh air, the exhale I had on the first day that I worked at my dad's liquor store, like worked, like there was no more school ever again, that was incredible. I think the fundamental separation that I have is really predicated on two things. I have empathy, so I'm thinking about what you're thinking about, and number two, I don't care about money in the short term. If you really actually understand what I just said on those two things, if you're actually consumer-centric, you're customer-centric and you don't need money in the short term, you always look like a fucking genius. It's, I don't like people and I don't like companies and businesses that are ideological. Like, there's way too many enthusiasts here that would like to see this shit happen. I don't like anything to happen. I just want to try to figure out what I think is going to happen. And a lot of times that's put me in a place where people judged me and made fun of me until they didn't. All my friends made fun of me that I signed a K-Swiss sneaker deal, 'cause I had the audacity to think it would work, until it all sold out in 4 hours, and then they stopped laughing. And the reason it worked was 'cause I understood where attention sat, right? And that's how I think about the world.

When something works, you're a genius, and when it doesn't work, you're a fool.

Success has unlimited fathers. Now everybody thinks they were involved, like Babin thinks he's the reason the K-Swiss sneakers sold, right? But failure has none, right? Yeah, I mean, Look, but that's what makes it fun. If you're in a place where you're comfortable with accepting your losses, I'm proud to say up here that I've had to pivot VaynerSmart 'cause the timing of IoT hasn't worked in the way that I thought it would. That's comfortable to me. It means you're watching the market. Yeah, to me that's comfortable. I'm so sad that so many of you don't do things because you're worried about being judged. It makes me sad. Like, that sucks, fuck, you know? Like, to me, that's my loss. Like, what's that got to do with you? Like, I don't give a shit what you think, Marco. You know, like, I'm doing my thing, and so when you start getting comfortable with losing in the micro, well then you can really start doing things. I don't wanna be a charlatan or a motivational speaker, or, you know, those aren't interesting to me, but I'm also willing to people to judge me and misunderstand me because I know how this all plays out at the end. So you can boo me in the second quarter, I'll talk to you after the game. I work, I do shit. Like, while everybody's debating, I'm doing it. And I'm willing to take micro losses for macro wins, and most people aren't because they want short-term money or they actually value other people's opinions over their own. I realize that I mean nothing, which then doesn't allow me to have the audacity to be cynical or skeptical. When I hear, I'm empathetic, and by the way, parents having sex at the right moment giving me DNA, like this is not me, but I'm like, why am I not skeptical? Why am I not cynical? Oh, because the fuck does my opinion mean in that, like the amount of people dropping their two cents on social media to shit on somebody like they mean something. People try to build the biggest building in town by tearing everybody else's building down. When you have enough talent to just build the biggest building, you just build the biggest building. I could give a fuck about anybody else. I'm doing me. And honestly, I wish all of you the best, and I even weirdly hope you beat me, 'cause that will keep me hungry. But the truth is, I'm not worried about other people's shit. Like, we're counting everybody else's points too much. Worry about your own shit. Now, that bubble will burst, and then we'll get to see who's still around, and then we'll see everybody else who says entrepreneur Nor in their Instagram profile right now when they're working in Bank of America in 24 months. And so that's what I'm waiting for. I'm most excited for and waiting for and hoping for complete global economic carnage so that we can weed out the B and C and D players. I think the world lacks optimism. I think, you know, everyone's like, "Your energy, your energy." I've come to realize it's just optimism. Optimism. I'm just happy. Just positive. That's what it is. Just, like, whatever chemicals are in my body, they just allow me to see the bright side, like, and I just don't think I've realized how few people have that. Like, no, very few people have it as black and white, 100, zero. Like, I just think everything's good, but like, you know, I'm dying to know out of 8 billion people I don't know what the breakdown is. My gut is like 6 billion just go directly into having more pessimism and cynicism and negativity. Like 51/49 minimally all the way down to very scary places. I just don't think there's a lot of 80% optimism. Is that the way they were raised or? Just environment, raised, just all that stuff. I force myself to be optimistic every day. It does not come naturally. I get it, Susan. It doesn't come naturally to a lot of people. I think that's like, you know, If I was ever to say I'm lucky about something, forget about the business results, it's lucky that optimism comes naturally to me. Like, I'm just optimistic. Like, I just think that so much works for me because I refuse to accept the negative. Like, you know, and I don't think, I hate when people say it's, you know, it's an option or it's a choice. I agree with you, Susan. I don't think it comes natural to everybody. I think we are just starting on the early stages of really looking at mental health, the brain, meditation, and I do think like, that's like saying be beautiful. Doesn't come natural to everybody. Some of us, you know, yes. I'm just kidding. But like, you know, like, you know, I do think that some things are etched with us early on, and I'm so grateful. I sit here in front of the 2,000 2,000 of you, which in itself is ridiculous. Like, I can turn something on in 3 minutes and have 2,000 people care enough to hear what I have to say. I sit here with ego and humility, gratitude and focus, appreciation and sense of responsibility, all built around really this optimistic foundation that is the fuel that drives me to my hustle and to my execution in the marketplace, I realized what's going on here. One life. I realized that I'm living like this is our only at-bat and most of you aren't. People fucking walking around here like they're coming back. People fucking walking around here like they're coming back. You're not coming back. Well, listen, I don't want to impose my beliefs on others. Maybe you believe you're coming back. I believe if you come back, you come back as a tree or a flower pot or DRock's sneakers and that blows. Compared to being a human. And so I'm acting that way. I'm acting that way. I think the next step is to not overly think about the next step. You know, like those cliché things, like if you want to get to the top of a mountain, it's like one step at a time. I believe in that shit. Like, I think the biggest thing that cripples a guy like you, 2 years in, starting to build something, you know, you get a little taste and you want more, right? That's always a dangerous part. I'm very scared usually at year 2, 3, 4 of a little bit of momentum. That's where a lot of people try to go too fast and break the whole thing, get a little fancy, get either content or too hungry. It's about staying in the middle and remembering what got you there. I mean, look, I'm a great example of it. You know, I always want people to watch me carefully. Like, I'm winning, I've gotten fancy, and I'm getting less fancy. Like, I'm like, you know, as good things are happening for me, I'm trying to go more tried and true, you know, as the light gleams, I'm trying to go more into being an operator. I'm gonna speak less next year. I'm gonna operate more. I'm gonna do more HR and see my people. Like, I think it's just important to, I don't think about what's next, ever. Like, of course I'm thinking every day about what I wanna do that's going to help me win, but I don't think of it as next. I think people look at it like, you know, and I just look at it like, and so I think the best way to have something happen that's going to bring you value is remembering what got you there. What got you to where you are right now is you got motivated, you took a camera from your phone and you started doing and then good shit started happening, and I think a lot of people start overthinking and putting too much pressure on themselves for what's next. I'm getting more and more intrigued by mindset because I used to think of it as fluffy, like self-help, and now I think of it more as strategy. What's your strategy in life? Somebody asked me on Instagram after I posted this, "Gary, if the mindset has been skewed, how can you bring it back?" And I answered with, by surrounding yourself with people who have the mindset you aspire to. My friends, please understand that mindset is controllable in the same way that all our opinions are controllable. The key is to add more people with optimism and cut people with negativity. It's very, very simple. Now it's very hard to cut people with pessimism, cynicism, and negativity when they are the people that are the closest to you. Parents, siblings, spouse, but the bottom line is if you're asking the question, I'm gonna give you the answer. The answer is add more people with positivity and optimism and cut people with pessimism and cynicism. Who you surround yourself matters. What content you consume matters. I basically suffocate myself for a long period of my time and created an environment that was based on offense and optimism, and now I know no different. Please do the same for you. Make that move. Mold, and I mean mold, your mindset by what you consume and with whom you consume it. I would argue that well more than 50% of the people in this audience are here today because they worry about the way they would be judged by one and/or two family members in their inner 7, 8 people. People's circle. If you're not feeling it, find new friends. I'm being dead serious about this. This one is real big for me. Who you hang out with is a huge deal. And again, these are all tried and true things, right? We've heard the, you're the whatever of the 5 friends you spend, like, that's real. Add 1 new winner friend. Like, you know what I mean? Add 1 new winner friend and cut 1 loser friend. Like, yeah, I know he's been your boy since 4th grade, but he sits at home Someone smokes weed and plays 2K all day. Like, you can only love him so much.

Now I've got a special Gary Vaynerchuk bonus clip for you, but before we get into that, the question of the day is, I'm curious, what is your favorite thing about Gary Vaynerchuk? What's your favorite personality trait or the lesson that you learned the most from him? Leave it down in the comments below. I'm really curious to find out. Thank you guys so much for watching. I believe in you. I hope you continue to believe in yourself and whatever your one word is. Much love, I'll see you soon, and enjoy the bonus.

The first thing that has always worked for me is never allowing somebody to have leverage on you.

I've missed shit because I didn't want to fuck that person.

That's me too. Good. Me too, like, that's great. But I don't even, but the key is to like, I've gotten to the point where I don't even realize I'm missing it anymore.

Oh, shit.

Because it becomes practice. Honestly, I'll give you a good example. Look at our table right now. Do you know how serious amount of food this is for so many people around the world? Yeah, no, I was, I've been there. I was like, my parents would be revolted. Right? So I look at this, right? This is how I look at your career. That's a good question. There's so much to eat, you don't need. So I don't think like, oh, I better go like, for you, right? It's like, oh shit, I hate that person, but that person is the person that plays the record, or that person picks the playlist for the 84 million person playlist on Spotify or SoundCloud. I'm kind of just like, meh. Like, I don't even like, I'm like, To me, this is why, if you really break down what I'm always saying, I'm just like, bring so much value to the end person so that you have the most leverage. Amazon gives us the best thing. We all love Amazon 'cause it's the best buying experience, thus Amazon will kill everybody else 'cause they're the best to the consumer. I want you in control of the consumer. Thing that most people see. Because if you bring the most value, then you have the leverage. Everybody comes to me because I'm giving value at scale with no expectation of anything else. So let me give you the one word secret to happiness. One word. This is all you need to be happy. The most important word ever. If you had to think of one word that's most important to you or that sums you up or that would be kind of like a little beacon. Hey, Believe Nation!

If you want to know what the most important one word is for Tony Robbins, Gary Vaynerchuk, Oprah Winfrey, will.i.am, and Howard Schultz, I have a very special secret video for you. Check the description for details.