Don’t Be Afraid to Take Your Next Bite

t’s become so obvious to me that experience is the key…

You have to taste the BERRIES. There is such an incredible conversation waiting to happen around breaking outside of your comfort zone and breaking down the boundaries that are holding you back. So many of you have drawn a line in the sand as to what you can and cannot do. But the truth is, you don’t really know. You haven’t tasted the berries. You haven’t had the experience.

So many people in today’s world are shaming social media, and marketing and advertising and everything else. The problem is they have never tried it. I often find that the people who are most against pushing the envelope, are the same ones who would rather sit on the sideline and debate about why it won’t work. None of you have actually done it. So how do you know?

The greatest metaphor I can imagine is about finding a way to taste the fruit. You have to try it to know the truth. Don’t tell me Instagram ads don’t work if you’ve never deployed a single dollar toward a campaign. Don’t tell me you can’t be a blogger if you’ve never written a single post. Don’t tell me you don’t like blueberries if you haven’t tried them yet!!

So many of you are limiting your horizons. It’s just not fair to you or the world. I want this post to be about breaking barriers. About finding what matters and trying something NEW. If you have already drawn a line in the sand as to what you “CAN” and “CAN’T” do.. I think you’ve lost.

You need to try it first. You need to taste the berries. The single best piece of advice I can give to a young person starting out is just to experience as much as you can. Experience being an artist, or a first time entrepreneur, or writing a blog or playing baseball or selling cards. TRY IT. Go out and see the real world. There is so much opportunity for you to find something cool.

You can not limit your experiences or your possibilities. It’s the biggest mistake you can possibly make and it’s the reason I’ve been able to win. I don’t consider myself a person in wine, or a marketer, or a speaker. I’m an entrepreneur and I’m open to change. In 10 years I probably won’t be running VaynerMedia. I’ll be doing something else and starting something new.

Advertising is the blackberry and wine is the blueberry.. I’m looking for the raspberry and the strawberry and the cranberry next. Maybe I’ve never tried the cranberry, and maybe it will be sour to the taste. But until you take the first bite, you are never going to know. It’s the only way to find out. When you’re the first explorer off the ship, you have to taste the berries and hope they’re not poisonous!

You have only one life, don’t be afraid to take you’re next bite 😉