Gary Vaynerchuk

The last 10, 15 years of my life, I've been around extreme wealth. And I can sit here, whether one wants to believe it or not, and I can, without any concern, with quite ease, you know where I'm about to go, tell you there is no correlation of financial success with actual joy.

I know right now, I can look through my phone from A to Z, and I would never do this, but I could rattle off to the audience right now, not dozens, hundreds of human beings that I personally know who have tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars in their bank account, and are borderline suicidal, are drug addicts, are deeply depressed, are anxious.

I know right now, I can look through my phone from A to Z, and I would never do this, but I could rattle off to the audience right now, not dozens, hundreds of human beings that I personally know who have tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars in their bank account, and are borderline suicidal, are drug addicts, are deeply depressed, are anxious.

Me, I'm one lousy human, and I can give you 50 to 60, easy, probably 100 right now, that I know, right this second. I think there's an incredible misconception. I believe it is one of human beings' biggest flaws that they have bought into this baloney. So for me, what I would say is, look, I don't want my kids to be lazy bums, but I want my kids to be passionate. Happy, yes, of course.

Me, I'm one lousy human, and I can give you 50 to 60, easy, probably 100 right now, that I know, right this second. I think there's an incredible misconception. I believe it is one of human beings' biggest flaws that they have bought into this baloney. So for me, what I would say is, look, I don't want my kids to be lazy bums, but I want my kids to be passionate. Happy, yes, of course.

Fulfilled, joyous, passionate. Like, if you get up in the morning and you're fired up, Whether you make 40K, look, if you make $45,000 a year, as long as you live a $45,000 a year lifestyle, you could be good. And I'm not naive to the hardships of it, but again, you don't need to live in New York City.

Fulfilled, joyous, passionate. Like, if you get up in the morning and you're fired up, Whether you make 40K, look, if you make $45,000 a year, as long as you live a $45,000 a year lifestyle, you could be good. And I'm not naive to the hardships of it, but again, you don't need to live in New York City.

I love when everyone's like, you know, making 100K in New York City, you can't even live a lifestyle. I'm like, leave New York City. Do you like that? Like, I love accountability. Accountability is my addiction. If you can't, I don't know, like I was just in Montana. Do you know how many happy people live in rural areas where cost of living is different?

I love when everyone's like, you know, making 100K in New York City, you can't even live a lifestyle. I'm like, leave New York City. Do you like that? Like, I love accountability. Accountability is my addiction. If you can't, I don't know, like I was just in Montana. Do you know how many happy people live in rural areas where cost of living is different?

And by the way, don't even get me started on, it's 2025 right now. People can have remote jobs. People can Zoom into every meeting. And you also don't have to, if you're complaining about money, you also don't have to buy $7 cups of coffee from Starbucks three times a day. Right. Like people don't know how to manage their money. People live above their means. I know millionaires that are broke.

And by the way, don't even get me started on, it's 2025 right now. People can have remote jobs. People can Zoom into every meeting. And you also don't have to, if you're complaining about money, you also don't have to buy $7 cups of coffee from Starbucks three times a day. Right. Like people don't know how to manage their money. People live above their means. I know millionaires that are broke.

People that earn five, six, seven, 800, 2 million a year, but they spend more. So there's money management issues. The credit card created a huge pandemic.

People that earn five, six, seven, 800, 2 million a year, but they spend more. So there's money management issues. The credit card created a huge pandemic.

Liquor at the time. Shoppers Discount Liquors was the name of the store.

Liquor at the time. Shoppers Discount Liquors was the name of the store.

It was terrible year one. 14 to 15 weekends and summers was devastating because I was making a lot of money, hundreds of dollars a weekend selling baseball cards and being my own boss. And by the way, having thousands of dollars consistently when you're 14 in 1988, 89, I'm not sure I'll ever be wealthier than I was back then because I at one point had $10,000 and that was like 40 billion now.

It was terrible year one. 14 to 15 weekends and summers was devastating because I was making a lot of money, hundreds of dollars a weekend selling baseball cards and being my own boss. And by the way, having thousands of dollars consistently when you're 14 in 1988, 89, I'm not sure I'll ever be wealthier than I was back then because I at one point had $10,000 and that was like 40 billion now.

I didn't even know how to spend it back to like the thing you said earlier. And now all of a sudden, I'm cruising, I'm the man, I'm feeling good and my dad walks in and goes, you're coming to the store. I'm like, which store? The store. And now I have to work for two bucks an hour I thought it was five. No, 505 was minimum wage. My dad paid me under the table cash, two bucks an hour.

I didn't even know how to spend it back to like the thing you said earlier. And now all of a sudden, I'm cruising, I'm the man, I'm feeling good and my dad walks in and goes, you're coming to the store. I'm like, which store? The store. And now I have to work for two bucks an hour I thought it was five. No, 505 was minimum wage. My dad paid me under the table cash, two bucks an hour.

Family business, immigrant vibes. He made two bucks an hour when he started, so I have to. I was like, yeah, but dad, that was 1978. It's 1990, you know, 1990. Nope, doesn't matter. Two bucks an hour, and I'm doing hard labor. I am bagging ice from an ice machine for hours. Or, finally, a little bit, a couple months in or a year in, I'm allowed to stock the shelves. That was my promotion.