Warren Buffett Has a Simple Principle to Increase Your Happiness

Over 20 years ago, Warren Buffett gave a lecture at the University of Florida’s school of business, an MBA student asked him a simple question: “What would you do to live a happier life — if you could live all over again?”

Buffet encouraged the students to not think in terms of doing it all over, but instead, making your life better today. He said don’t do things you hate in the present for the rewards of tomorrow or some other unpromised date. Instead, do something you love and enjoy your life. In his words specifically,

“The way to do it is to play out the game and do something you enjoy all your life. Be associated with people you like. I only work with people I like. If I could make $100 million with a guy who causes my stomach to churn, I’d say no.”

He further added: “I urge you to work in jobs you love. You’re out of your mind if you keep taking jobs that you don’t like because you think it’ll look good on your résumé.”

It sounds easy for someone who’s a billionaire many times over. However, he’s actually completely right. Why spend your time doing anything you don’t love? Entrepreneurship is meant to be about doing things that are personally meaningful to you, not something that grinds your gears. 

Dan Sullivan, author of the upcoming book, Who Not How says the number one cause of procrastination is ambition. 

When we come up with new and better visions of what’s possible, we have been trained to ask ourselves: “How can I do this?” Dan Sullivan, however, knows we should instead ask: “Who can do this for me?”

When you shift from ‘How thinking’ to ‘Who thinking,’ Dan urges you can free yourself from everything you don’t love doing and focus solely on your unique ability.”