The world’s renowned investor and Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett give the best advice on investments and innovation, but his eye-opening words about ‘not considering’ money as the most extraordinary measure of success are worth noting.
Buffett gave a presentation at the University of Georgia where students asked about his definition of success in life. To which Buffett unexpectedly replied
“I know people who have a lot of money, and they get testimonial dinners, and they get hospital wings named after them. But the truth is nobody in the world loves them,” said Buffett. “If you get to my age in life and nobody thinks well of you, I don’t care how big your bank account is; your life is a disaster.”
Author Alice Schroeder beautifully explains the incident in Buffett’s biography titled “The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life.”
In a word, his definition of success is love!
Don’t we spend most of our lives creating a career and piling the stacks of cash to fill our bank accounts? But even a self-made Billionaire who got much more than all of us believes it’s useless if no one thinks well of you.
Love is the most powerful emotion
Falling in love takes a fifth of a second, but it remains with us for life. Somewhere we all understand the power of relationships but usually fail to harness it when we have time. Various researchers on love have already shared the benefits of having a good relationship, but the masses largely ignore it.
Buffett says, “The problem with love is that it’s not for sale,”
You cannot give a million dollars and purchase love. It works differently; according to him, the only way to be loved is by being lovable.
But the path of keeping love a priority and harnessing the power of relationships is complex, so most of us refrain from doing so.
But here are some simple steps you can immediately take to be lovable. And, if you could follow Buffett’s principle of success in a way where you can truly leave behind a legacy, you would find yourself a part of the elite group of extremely successful and satisfied people on earth.
1. Appreciate others
Another study talks about the four significant benefits of appreciating others:
- The growth of positive emotions improves health
- Strengthens relationships,
- Promotes good experience,
- Helps you deal with adverse life situations.
Appreciation reduces the negative impact of anger and frustrations. Showing thankfulness to the people around you gives them a sense of belongingness that makes them joyful. Don’t wait for something big to mention the great congratulation; instead, try to appreciate the little things people do for you.
2. Kindness promotes love and reduces anxiety
It takes nothing to be kind to others but gives you a lot in return. Not only does it make the other person feel good, but it also promotes your mental and personal health.
The Science of Kindness reveals that it increases the love hormone, Energy, Happiness, Lifespan, Pleasure, and Serotonin (a kind of antidepressant). It also helps in decreasing Pain, Stress, Anxiety, Depression, and Blood Pressure.
Genuine Empathy can only happen when you are in others’ shoes and think from their perspective. If you can understand the problem one is going through, it becomes easy to show gratitude. Simple words like “I understand your problem” with a good heart can do wonders.
3. Learn to laugh at yourself
Isn’t most of us hate when someone cracks a joke about us? Trying to act superior promotes the pride of being correct every time, which builds the pressure to outperform others and develops anxiety. The immense joy is understanding and laughing at past mistakes instead of hiding them and acting superior to others.
Science values self-mockery, too; it says, “Many of us are happiest when we can laugh at our past misfortunes.” It helps in promoting self-love, combating potential stress, and allows you to develop problem-solving skills. Most importantly, it makes others around you feel comfortable, and the openness you promote makes you more lovable.
4. Chase your purpose
DNA India revealed that “8 out of 10 people are not happy with their jobs” still, we continue to pursue the same thing under the pressure of society and job security. Various other factors determine the continuity of work you don’t love, but there is always a scope for looking for alternatives.
Some say, following your passion is the key, but this Harvard research beautifully explains the reason behind following your purpose, not passion.
It says passion is when you are excited to do a task like listening to music, dancing, or watching your favorite show. It immediately gives you goosebumps with a feeling that says, yes, I want to do that. However, when you work on it, the initial excitement disappears and makes the work feel tiring.
But the purpose is much bigger than passion. It’s about hitting the gym daily because you want to look fit or drink water every 30 minutes to stay hydrated. “Purpose is when you’re doing things you sincerely hate — because you have a good reason to.”
Understanding the bigger picture automatically drives you to complete the task even if you don’t like it.
5. Be selfless
Selfless is about being more concerned about others’ feelings instead of yours. It means you put them ahead of you and think positively about them, which is pretty tricky in the current society of cut-throat competition.
But you can start with simple acts of selflessness like helping one person every day, joining volunteering programs, listening to others, and showing empathy. Making others feel that you care for them promotes the good hormone making you more lovable with time.
Conclusion
We all understand the value of money, position, and career because it brings a good lifestyle, vacations, luxury cars, homes, etc. But even the person who already has it all says it doesn’t matter if no one is there to think about you in the end.
Love is a strong emotion but harnessing it takes time and effort. But it majorly contributes to our happiness, and that’s what matters. Take baby steps toward becoming more lovable; with time, you will surely reap the benefits.
