When it comes to designing your life, one of the ideas I like to come back to again and again is this:
If you want to be successful, the quickest way is to model and study what other successful people do.
Seems simple, right?
Why would you reinvent the wheel? There are so many people out there already living the kind of life you want to be living — why not take a page from their book?!
That’s why I love this lesson from the great Warren Buffett. And if you don’t know much about Warren, he’s 86 years old and the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. — a man with a net worth of around $75.6 billion. And no, that’s not a typo!
Buffett isn’t just run of the mill rich – he’s one of the RICHEST PEOPLE in the WORLD! So clearly, there’s a lot everyone can learn from him and other successful people – even me.
Let’s start this article with a question…
If You Had To Choose One Car That Would Last The Rest Of Your Life, What Car Would You Choose?
There’s a great quote from Warren that’s made its rounds online that I think everyone should read. It goes something like this:
When I was sixteen, I had just two things on my mind — girls and cars. I wasn’t very good with girls. So I thought about cars. I thought about girls, too, but I had more luck with cars.
Let’s say that when I turned sixteen, a genie had appeared to me. And that genie said, ‘Warren, I’m going to give you the car of your choice. It’ll be here tomorrow morning with a big bow tied on it. Brand-new. And it’s all yours.’
Having heard all the genie stories, I would say, ‘What’s the catch?’ And the genie would answer, ‘There’s only one catch. This is the last car you’re ever going to get in your life. So it’s got to last a lifetime.’
If that had happened, I would have picked out that car. But, can you imagine, knowing it had to last a lifetime, what I would do with it?
I would read the manual about five times. I would always keep it garaged. If there was the least little dent or scratch, I’d have it fixed right away because I wouldn’t want it rusting. I would baby that car, because it would have to last a lifetime.
That’s exactly the position you are in concerning your mind and body. You only get one mind and one body. And it’s got to last a lifetime. Now, it’s very easy to let them ride for many years. But if you don’t take care of that mind and that body, they’ll be a wreck forty years later, just like the car would be.
It’s what you do right now, today, that determines how your mind and body will operate ten, twenty, and thirty years from now.11
– Warren Buffett
Now that you’ve read this quote, I want you to think for a moment. Consider…
Are You Going Through Life Knowing You Only Have One Life To Live?
Are you making goals and taking actions that will support your body and mind for the rest of your life?
Are you putting systems in place so you can spend more time on the things that are really importan1t to you in your life?
Or are you simply letting your life pass you by, drifting and unconsciously making choices that serve no purpose?
Look into your heart — be honest with yourself.
Is your life out of whack? Are you negating the important parts of it? Your mind? Your health? Your relationships? Your leisure time?
Is being successful the only thing on your mind? Because being successful doesn’t always mean making a crapload of money.
Money without health is pointless.
Money with no good relationships will make you lonely.
Don’t forget what’s truly important to you and don’t forget you are only here on earth for short amount of time. So make sure you are taking care of yourself fully.
We are holistic beings. Every part of us works together harmoniously. And the sooner you realize this, the better and more successful you’ll be. True or true!?
Create Your Ultimate Life — With More Fulfillment, Happiness, Balance & Success
Keep referring back to Warren Buffett’s words:
So if you do a lot of inner work and digging. Ask yourself a lot of really powerful questions to find out what truly matters to you so you could start prioritizing what would make your “car” last a lifetime.
Ask yourself simple, but powerful questions like…
- What do I REALLY want?
- Why don’t I already have it?
- What would it be like or feel like if I got exactly what I say I want?
- How can I get or accomplish what I say I want?
Ask these same exact questions in all the categories of life such as your money, your business, your health, your relationships, and so on. Now, these may seem like ordinary questions, but I invite you to ask yourself these questions and really take the time to reflect on them in the different categories of your life.
Because when you discover what truly matters to you — things that will support your body and mind for the rest of your life — suddenly the path to living your ultimate life becomes much more clear.
There is Power behind Clarity!
Clarity leads to power. And power is the ability to do or act.