Gary Vaynerchuk is a polarizing figure.

I honestly can’t understand why.

Sure, the guy gets a little too heavy-handed with the “hustle porn,” but in recent years he’s backed off of that.

I still stopped watching him about three years ago, though. Why?

Well, after building my online course business to 6-figures in annual revenue, I kept wondering why I was listening to a guy telling me to “shut my eyes” until I was 30.

It’s not that that’s bad advice, it’s just that it didn’t mean anything to me anymore. I grew out of it. I mean, why should I keep working my whole ass off when I’m making 6 figures yearly?

I think for a lot of people in their late 20’s, Gary Vaynerchuk’s message might start getting a little hard to relate to for a variety of reasons. Here are a few of them.

We Hustled And It Didn’t Work

In the game of endless hustle, there are winners and there are losers. Gary might have you think that it’s pretty binary. You work hard, you win, and that’s the end of it.

But many work hard and don’t win.

I worked pretty hard at a variety of ventures in my 20’s and many times they did not work.

I don’t think Gary Vee is evil, though, or a liar or some sort of a fraud. I think that it’s just not as simple as “work hard and be successful.”

Sometimes you work hard and get nowhere.

We Hustled, And Won, Now What?

First and foremost, I fully endorse hustling. Hustle your fucking ass off to accomplish your dreams. You owe it to yourself to see what’s on the other side of that rainbow, and if you don’t ever see, you might regret it the rest of your life.

Luckily I have seen what’s on the other side of the rainbow. I did everything he told me to and I became successful. I work from home, travel a lot, and I’ve made a lot of friends around the world.

So now what? Was it worth it?

Gary speaks a lot about hustling, but he hardly ever talks about life after the hustle. Does it never stop?

It’s almost like Gary’s written one half of an incredible book and forgot to sit down and flesh out the other half. We really only listen to certain creators for as long as they’re relevant to our own personal struggles. I simply grew out of Gary’s message, which leads to my next point.

We Changed

Five years ago Gary’s message really spoke to me. I was 22, hungry, and ready to experience all facets of work and life.

Now I’m battle-weary, tired, and looking to shift gears into actually enjoying my life and money.

In short, I changed.

People change, too.

What was interesting to people five years ago may not be interesting to them now. Maybe they wanted to hustle their face off until they were 30 five years ago, but now they just want to settle down and start a family.

Honestly, I’ve recently wondered what’s so special about this nomadic life. I live in many parts of the world and have traveled a lot, but I’ve given up having a “home base” with common friends and loved ones.

All my previous friendships have withered because I’m so busy. The thought of traveling now just exhausts me because I know I’ll be starting from zero yet again.

I want to stop starting from zero. I want a life now. I want someone who will love me and a support base around me.

I’m not looking to start another business. I’m looking to start an actual life, and while Gary Vee never tells people to NOT create a beautiful life for themselves, he doesn’t give much insight into how to do it either.

It’s all hustle.

I’m Prioritizing Life Over Hustle

I love Gary Vee. He gave me this incredible life, a bit of financial independence, and the ability to see countries most people can only dream of seeing. Thank you Gary, from the bottom of my heart.

But I’m ready to focus on my life now. How do I build a happy life for myself with close friends and family nearby?

Many business books love to tell you to quit your job and start your own home-based business. But then what?

There is no guide for life after that. For instance, it’s hard to understand how to make new friends when you’re working by yourself all day. Normally you’d be friends with the people you work with. That’s gone. Now what?

Not to mention it gets pretty isolating to have people not understand you. Every time someone asks me “What do you do for a living?” I want to disappear. It’s such a hard question to answer, and I always get weird looks when I’m done answering it.

It’s lonely at the end of Gary Vee’s rainbow, even though there are a lot of blessings you’ll find along the way.

For that reason, I’ve stopped listening to him entirely.

I still love you, Gary.

I’d do it all over again the exact same way with no regrets.