That’s right. I said it. Warren Buffett is a cheater.
And if you want to be successful in life, you need to be cheating too.
But I’m not talking about the unethical, back-stabbing, conniving type of cheating.
I’m talking about the ‘never take no for an answer’ and the ‘use all the tools to your advantage’ type of cheating.
Rarely does anyone achieve significant wealth or success without pushing the boundaries of the type of cheating I’m suggesting.
You have to be able to keep your head down and persistently attack your goal. You have to be hard-headed and dedicated.
You have to be creative and have the courage to attempt new strategies on your path to success.
Let’s look at three examples of people who have pushed the limits (cheated) on their way to the top:]Warren Buffett is a perfect example of this type of cheating.
There is no denying that Buffett is one of the greatest investors to ever live, with dozens of books written about his investing strategies and successes. His patience and discipline are unparalleled in the financial world.
But how does he do it? How is he able to consistently achieve success?
He cheats.
Buffett has been a steady contributor to different political campaigns throughout his career, like his support of President Obama during 2008.
So doesn’t it seem odd that Obama blocked the Keystone Pipeline, which was ultimately an enormous threat to Buffett’s BNSF railroad business that accounts for the largest transporter of oil in North America?
Of course! The Keystone Pipeline would be an enormous threat to the profitability of BNSF, but Obama was helped out by Buffet to get into office, so the president was just returning the favor.
Another example is when Buffett took a 12% stake in investing firm Salomon Brothers, which became entwined in a trading scandal that broke Treasury rules.
A smaller company would have not had the influence and pull that Buffett has, and therefore would have been subject to whatever the Treasury wanted to do to punish the firm.
The examples could go on and on, but you get the picture. In fact, I doubt you even needed to see any examples to know that Buffett and the ultra wealthy carry extreme influence in the way our economy operates, and the way our government makes decisions.
(Warren has recently vouched for Hillary Clinton for this year’s presidential campaign… certainly a strategic move, as maybe he doesn’t think his money can buy Trump?)He was always the first to practice and the last to leave – he knows how to work hard.
Kobe is also accused of being one of the worst offenders of traveling with the basketball during games. His fancy footwork would weave himself through defenders, even though he wasn’t always dribbling the ball enough.
And he rarely got called on it. He dominated the court and the referees knew it.
But guess what? He pushed the boundaries of the game (he was cheating) and he’ll go down in the record books as someone who absolutely dominated the game.
(He’s also entered the investing world with the same desire to win.)Arianna Huffington is listed by Forbes as one of the most powerful women in the world. Her influence as a writer and entrepreneur have gained her power in areas such as politics to international policy.
She has written books, started companies, advised leaders and created an empire of influence through The Huffington Post.
She is able to use her power of influence (by cheating) to control the outcomes of countless different topics.
Recently Fast Company’s Sarah Kessler wrote, “Yesterday, Uber named Huffington Post editor and founder Arianna Huffington to its board. Today, the Huffington Post wrote a story about its efforts to remain unbiased in its Uber coverage, despite the obvious conflict of interest. Two hours ago, The Washington Post published a story about the Huffington Post killing a negative story about Uber.”
Why wouldn’t Huffington use her media outlet to ensure Uber’s successful future? Especially now that she stands to profit from it’s success.
Huffington has also been accused of plagiarism on multiple occasions, settling outside of court on at least one instance.So do you have to be a cheater in order to really get ahead?
Yes. Yes you do. A cheater in that you are willing to push the limits in all areas of your life and to never take “no” as an answer.
MACRO TRENDS
Transportation Revolution
“Driverless cars could save lives, but kill businesses,” says an article in Japan Today.
In addition, “U.S. car sales could plunge 40% in the next 25 years” due to the lack of demand for personal vehicles, as I argued in the last Explorer Report.
If you are thinking of investing (or already hold positions) in major car companies like Ford, GM, Dodge, etc. I would seriously consider what the implications of driverless cars will have on these companies starting within the next five years.
Or in other words, I would not invest in any car manufacturer without knowing that the company has solid plans to implement driverless cars into their business plan.
