The following is taken from Dan Miller. I really eat up anything that deals with the right perspective on money and work. These two are literally the two richest men in America (the richest country), yet they don't run their lives like the vast majority of our nation's celebrities who waste valuable time and money. Warren Buffet's biography is simply amazing...check out the quick version by clicking here.
Okay, here's the article:
In September of 2005, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, the two richest men in America, sat down with students and faculty at the University of Nebraska. There they fielded questions from the students, showing their shared sense of responsibility to aggressively use their wealth to improve the world.
Joanne was gone this weekend and I used it as a rare occasion to watch TV while I ate dinner one night. I caught a replay of this program and was struck by their energy, intelligence, openness and grounding in character and integrity. While they could easily use their immense wealth to embrace extravagant, consumptive lifestyles, they seem to be examples of what should happen when money is no longer the primary motivator.
Rather than “retiring” and doing nothing, these two extraordinary guys are actively pursuing work that they feel is important. When 77-yr-old Warren Buffet was asked what he would be doing 10 years from now, he replied, “I’ll be doing exactly the same thing I’m doing today because I’m doing exactly what I love doing now.” Bill Gates spends 2 weeks a year off by himself just thinking and reading “idea papers” that people send him. He’s concerned about getting rusty and missing seeing new opportunities. One young coed asked Mr. Buffet what he considered success. He replied that he thought success was having lots of people love you as you grow older. He went on to say that he has seen people make lots of money and end up with no one loving them.
These guys seem to think differently than most Americans. If you really find the work you love, retirement loses it appeal. If you find purpose in your work, money is a byproduct.



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