There are only a few vlogs that I obsess over; Casey Neistat's daily vlogs and Gary Vaynerchuk's DailyVee are a couple that make the cut. To me at least, these vlogs provide not only entertainment and a 10-15 min escape from the world, but also give practical advice to millions of people. And while these YouTube videos provide a lot of great insight as to how these individuals act in the 'everyday' setting, they also raise a lot of questions about the current state of the world.
For example in a recent DailyVee, Gary Vaynerchuck opens with an observation about motivation & success. It's quick and super insightful. I encourage you to watch the video in its entirety, but I transcribed the important quote below.
"I don't know how many more of these videos, how many more fucking quotes, how many more t-shirts with a quote on it, or my fucking Instagram posts. Like how much more motivation do fuckers need?" - Gary Vaynerchuk
You know those motivational videos on youtube? The ones with millions of views and the entire thing is just a combination of speeches, epic music and movie clips? That was my introduction to the motivational space, more specifically, this one that focused on Les Brown's famous speech about "quiet desperation." That was my introduction to the motivational space.
Now keep in mind, I've watched "The Secret" multiple times before that, but it wasn't until I found this little corner on YouTube, did I start to take self-development seriously. And it hasn't been until recently, that I realized that action trumps words every time and it took me years to learn that lesson.
What Gary is suggesting is that too often we sit back and consume content like his because we are afraid to "make the jump." Steve Harvey (The Ms. Universe guy and Family Feud Host) illustrates this point well in the following clip.
Both Gary and Steve articulate that being encouraged by a third party to do something will only get you so far. You can read all the books, watch all the videos, listen to all the tapes/podcasts, attend all the seminars, buy all the shirts, but if you can't find the will within yourself to make your life better than you're not going to accomplish anything.
Motivation has to come from within. You have to find your 'why' in order to succeed (Check out this TED Talk by Simon Sinek, he explains this perfectly). For example, Gary is motivated to build business to provide for his family and eventually buy the New York Jets. Casey loves making movies, having fun and taking care of those around him.
Find the internal thing that drives you to do what you love. Don't get involved with something because it's trendy or there's a lot of money potential. Find the one thing that you're good at, then go all in on it.
If you've already found this thing, then stop wasting your time and start taking action towards your goals. Stay motivated, consume it when you need it, but don't not do anything. Forward always.
Ultimately, I want you to get over whatever it is you're dealing with. Take some time to figure it out, find your motivation, make a plan, then execute. Stop talking and start doing! It's cliche, but 100% true.
How do you stay motivated? Who are some role models for your success? What's your why?
Share this with someone who needs to take some action.