Warren Buffett as a Data Point

Shortly after Warren Buffett announced that he was giving away the vast bulk of his estate to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, I heard a story on NPR that interviewed Buffett's granddaughter, Nicole Buffett.   Nicole recounted five specific pieces of advice that she received from her grandparents; and over the last several months I have wondered whether they are indeed the formula for a successful life (however one might define success). 

I ultimately concluded that the only way to empirically ascertain the benefits of these sayings was to follow them with earnest for a long period of time (many years, if not decades).   I passed along these sayings to my students on the first day of Corporations, so why not to ELS readers?  Here they are:

1. "Show up"
2. "Tell the truth"
3. "Pay attention"
4. "Do your best"
5. "Let go of outcomes"

I have found that if I do 1-4, #5 is much less difficult.    I may be able to provide more comprehensive data in a few years.