We all have that one person we look up to…Whether it’s spiritually, in business, mentor-ship etc. These people help us grow in our careers, they help us cement our values and beliefs and in general they make us better persons as we continue to hustle our way through life and jobs.

Such a person is Gary Vaynerchuk, or as he commonly known, “Gary Vee”. If you have no idea who this fella is, he is one of the most influential thought leader in the marketing industry at the moment. He is also an author, speaker, entrepreneur and an internet personality.

As he regularly cites on his Youtube Videos, he was a D student. “Listen, there is an enormous conversation going on around the nature of education. There is no question in my mind that we are going to start re-evaluating what it means to learn and how one can acquire knowledge and experience in the real world,” reads an article he wrote on LinkedIn.

So, what can we learn from this man? Below are 5 lessons

1.You’ve Got to work Very Hard
An advocate of hard work, Gary says that there is no shortcut to success. “You have to work very hard to achieve success in anything. If you want to make it in life, you have to go beyond your 9 to 5 job. You must go that extra mile so as to enjoy the life you have always dreamed of.”

Vee adds that to make the process of working hard more rewarding, it is best to do some work that you actually enjoy. “Find something that you are passionate about and then do it.”

2.You’ve got to Hustle
Hustle is one of the most important elements in the Gary Vee philosophy and it’s pretty easy to understand why.

When Vaynerchuk talks about hustle, he’s talking about the need for people to put their all into something if they want to make it happen.

So if you’re working 9-5 and have kids to look after as well, hustle means getting on the computer at 10 PM and trying to follow your dreams by launching a business, learning a new skill or doing whatever else it takes to get you to where you want to be.

3.When life gets tough and beats you down, get up!
Ever feel at though your career is going nowhere or you are failing in life generally?

Well, not all of Vaynerchuk’s business deals have been a success and he isn’t shy to admit that. In most of his Youtube videos, he often says that he secretly hopes that he loses his empire just so he can build it all back up again.

In short he is not saying that you should go out there and deliberately destroy your career, but he is saying that when things do go wrong, as they surely do, you need to get back up and try again!

4. Don’t Take Your Problems Home
Most of us are not immune to taking the work stress to our homes.
Gary cites that most people can’t separate work stress from their personal lives. So, how does the master of Digital Marketing do it? His single answer, “Gratitude.”

He cites that he is so grateful that he gets to work as hard as he does that it would be massively unfair to his wife and the kids if he let work problems impact his mood and demeanor at home for even one second.