I just had the pleasure of watching @garyvee‘s keynote speech at #ASW09 on Ustream.TV.

I have to hand it to him, no matter how much that guy cusses, he’s got a heart of gold and a solid message to deliver.

Yes, I was one of those people that had an adverse reaction to Gary Vaynerchuk when I first laid eyes on him in a virtual setting.  The guy cusses like nobody’s business, so be forewarned if you’ve never listened to him before.  He’s not for the faint of heart.

Clearly, he knows what he likes and he knows where he’s going.  He’s got a successful $50 million dollar wine business and a thriving online community, Wine Library TV to prove it.

After watching him this morning, I took away these two points:

(1) If you’re passionate about what you do, it’s imperative to teach it to others and monetize your knowledge. Go down to your local Chamber of Commerce and tell those folks what you know. In doing so, you brand yourself the expert and become “the Yoda” in your local community.  There are plenty of opportunities within a ten mile radius of your home.  Don’t overlook them. You know more than you realize.

(2) Keep the most important people around you happy. Your hard work is all for naught if everyone around you is disappointed and disconnected.  Know what makes these important people happy and do what it takes to keep them happy.  Take the proper time to nurture these relationships so that you have a balanced life.

Be the Yoda in your community and nurture the love in your life.  Two worthy topics to be mindful of in 2009.

May the force be with you.