I found out about Gary Vaynerchuk about six months ago. His videos would constantly appear on my LinkedIn feed. I didn’t know anything about him. One day, I finally caved by clicking on a video and my life has changed since then.

My jaw dropped after watching one of his videos. I could feel the hair raise on my arms. I felt like he was directly speaking to me. This man is unfiltered, unapologetic, unadulterated. I was hooked by his upfront and honest perspective. I love taking in his content and suggest it for everyone for he will give you a harsh but necessary dose of reality.

Vaynerchuk is very candid—some will even call him overly-aggressive. But he wishes the best for everyone. He wants people to be successful and happy. Through my learnings from his content, I’ve noticed four themes in his life that I’d like to share with you. These themes are what drives him in business and life. My aim is that you take in these themes, and use them to help you crush it in business and life.

Here are the four important lessons I’ve learned from Gary Vaynerchuk:

1. Regret

When you’re old and immobile, you might look back at the things you did, but you’ll also look back in pain on the things you never did. The pain of not taking action stings more than taking action. We have one shot at this game and every day is a chance to fulfill our destiny. Don’t wait for tomorrow. There will never be the right time to get started.  

2. Gratitude

I don’t know what your situation is in life. If you are an Addicted2Success reader then I’ll assume you are looking to improve your situation. As I am writing this, I am becoming grateful to the fact that I have food in my stomach, a roof over my head, a loving family, and a clean bill of health. As minute as these sound, I’m grateful every single day for these things.

It’s usually the small things in life that make me grateful for being alive—a delicious meal, a safe living situation, or spending time with my family. People literally kill for these things. As the adage goes, you don’t know how good you have it until it’s gone. Don’t take it for granted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElAz2Akoy-U

3. Self-Awareness

What I really like about Gary Vaynerchuk is that he truly knows himself. He understands his strengths and weaknesses. Gary knows and openly states that he isn’t smart. He was a C student at best as a child. Studying and taking tests were weaknesses of his. He was a killer salesman though. Knowing this, he focused on selling.

He was ripping flowers out of the ground and selling them to homeowners. He was making thousands of dollars a weekend selling baseball cards. He doesn’t know how to build technology, but he leverages the power of it. He’ll outsource the creation of technology, and then use it to help him do what he’s remarkable at—creating inspiring and actionable content.

Double down on your strengths and outsource your weaknesses. It is absolutely vital to know yourself. It’s easy to lie to yourself and continue doing things you’re not good at. It might be why you have a job you don’t like, or continue to get passed up on a promotion. Are you doing things in life that tailor to your strengths?

4. Hustle

This is it. This is what it all comes down to in the end. If you want to become an artist, entrepreneur, or Olympian, you have to put in the work.  If you’re going home after work and watching House of Cards, you’re not hustling.  If you’re going out and getting wasted on the weekends then you’re not hustling.

Becoming successful requires you to work as hard as possible to achieve it. This is going to require sacrifice. It might mean sacrificing sleep, or time with friends and family. Gary says, “While you’re sleeping, I’m grinding.” His hustle mentality is what took his dad’s wine business from $3 million a year to $60 million a year. It’s what created his $40 million a year digital agency. Oh ya, he’s also a Wall Street Journal bestselling author.

As you can see, there’s nothing here that is extremely profound. They are simple concepts, but damn hard to execute on. It takes a lot of introspection and even more blood, sweat and tears. Remember these 4 things.

• Regret: Will you have the guts to take a risk—knowing when you’re old, you gave it your all?
• Gratitude: Whether you achieve your desired level of success or not, will you be grateful for the positive things in your life?
• Self-Awareness: Can you look deep inside and find out who you truly are?
• Hustle: Are you willing to put in the work?

When Gary speaks, it’s as if he is addressing every unique individual. It’s why people listen, and it’s one of the many qualities that makes him special. He came from a modest childhood. Vaynerchuk is an immigrant from the former Soviet Union. He came with his family with no money, and lived in a studio apartment the size of this office with multiple family members. Using his skills, mindset, and passion, Vaynerchuk created his own success. Now he’s rooting for you to succeed.

What is your favorite thing about Gary Vaynerchuk? Leave your thoughts below!