Wisdom from Wealth

There are many ways to be rich...

This anecdote about one of the world's wealthiest men demonstrates how he got that way:

Warren Buffet is known to be a generous man. Recently he announced his plans to make the biggest single contribution to philanthropy ever. But it’s also common knowledge that Buffet is generous in other aspects of life as well.

According to Bill George in Forbes (“The master gives back”), an MBA student from Kazakhstan was the recipient of Buffet’s giving spirit when the student attended a function at which Buffet was present. The student left his camera in the Berkshire Hathaway boardroom. He dearly wanted some pictures of himself with Buffet—and so, true to his folksy form, Buffet offered to give the student a ride back to the office to pick up the camera.

During the drive, Buffet offered some advice to the young man. Do what you love, he told him. He also revealed to the student that his personal goal was not to live like a king, and that he liked living a fairly simple life, eating simple meals and driving a regular car.

It was then that Buffet offered this nugget of wisdom: “Be a nice person.... It’s so simple that it’s almost too obvious to notice. Look around at people you like. Isn't it a logical assumption that if you like traits in other people, then other people would like you if you developed those same traits?”