Last night, I had a drink with Gary Vaynerchuk. One life changing lesson learned: You've gotta love the dirt. Gary has had incredible longevity in his career as an entrepreneur and creator. We were chatting about what allows one person to continue to thrive in their business over long periods of time, while others fade. His reply: "You've gotta love the dirt." The dirt is where you start. It's where you build your initial success. Doing the things that don't scale, talking to customers, spending time in the details, testing and learning fast. It's where you find the early gold. But too many people get that taste of the gold and leave the dirt behind. They head up to the skybox, never to build in the dirt again. This is why they don't last. The dirt is where the game is played. The dirt is where the gold is found. The day you leave the dirt is the day the clock starts ticking down on your run. It reminded me of a story I've heard of the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team, where the captains of the team have to clean up the locker room after the game. They literally sweep up the dirt. The lesson: You're never too big to do the small. Importantly, while our discussion was about business, this same insight on loving the dirt applies to every area of life: If you want to build something that lasts—in your health, relationships, or business—you've gotta love the dirt. Never lose sight of the boring, hard basics that made you successful in the first place.
Another reflection: People with positive sum mentalities are the best. Want to get ahead in life? Start genuinely rooting for others to succeed. Adopt a positive sum mentality—when one of us wins, we all win. It'll make you a magnet for the highest quality people.
@SahilBloom @garyvee I love that. Incredible longevity is real. Most people that started with him are nowhere to be found today. Unreal.
@SahilBloom @garyvee Love this but you guys look like you’ve had a bit more than one drink hahah