The madness of SXSW Interactive is over and we’re back home in New York. We had a great time!
SXSW is full of grey individuals who do what they love and love what they do. Over the course of the five days we were there, we were nothing less than inspired by everyone we met and learned from.
Below are a few of our favorite quotes and lessons from SXSW presenters. Enjoy!
Love what you do and do what you love
“Choosing a major is not choosing a life!” @chasejarvis
“Don’t worry about finding your dream job right out of college, find a place you can learn about yourself + make experiences.” Mark Cuban @mcuban
“Put more of you into your work.” @chasejarvis
“The one thing you have control over (with your work) is effort.” @mcuban
Collaborate to Create Opportunity
“I think you should work with people who you want to hang out with” @austinkleon
“Are you surrounding yourself with people that challenge your thinking?” @bhorowitz
“Teach what you know” @austinkleon
“When you share your work, you’ll attract people like you and find future co-collaborators.” @austinkleon
Hustling for that ‘Grey’ life
“Don’t quit. Stay in the game long enough until that you get it.” @bhorowitz
“It’s ok to start small.” @mcuban
Nobody just has “it.” Everyone develops “it.” @bhorowitz
“If you have doubts and discomfort, you’re doing something right. You should feel uncomfortable.” @chasejarvis
“You can’t worry about the mistakes you might make, because there are going to be a lot. Just look for the next opening.” @bhorowitz
Gary Vaynerchuk on how to #LiveGrey
“I think everybody should do what makes them happy.” @garyvee #SWSX14
— Live In The Grey (@LiveGrey) March 7, 2014
We learned that Gary is “obsessed with the climb. I love the journey. I love the pain. I love the climb.” Living in the grey isn’t easy and certainly comes with tough times. To stay the course, Gary keeps in mind that, “Intent trumps all. We’re all going to make mistakes.”
And to make sure you stay focused, take a page from Gary’s book: “The next time you are frustrated about your life, ask yourself what you are prioritizing? I always audit my life and adjust as necessary.”
He shared with us that right now, he works from 7am to midnight Monday through Friday. On the weekends he completely turns off work and spends time with his family. However, as his children get older, he will audit his life again and make adjustments so that he can spend more time with them during the week as their lives get busier.
Gary is a great example of the fact that your definition of ‘grey’ may change throughout your life. Be aware of what makes you happy and how that changes. Adjust accordingly.
Read Part Two of our recap here.
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