Bill Gates

To top off Berkshire Hathaway week at Narrow Bridge, I want to talk about the inspiration and enthusiasm from participating in the “Woodstock for Capitalists” in Omaha. Now that we have discussed dividends, leadership, and environmental policies, it is time to focus on something a bit more fun.

Fortune

Sitting in the room with Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Charlie Munger, the entire Berkshire board of directors, and countless millionaires, I turned to my friend and asked, “Do you think there is a higher net worth in this room than anywhere else on the planet right now?”

I have put a ton of time into my financial education. I have spent countless hours studying and analyzing investment opportunities, stocks, bonds, returns, interest rates, investor psychology, and a plethora of other finance concepts.

Going to the Berkshire meeting is evidence that what I am doing can work quite well. If you work hard, make smart investments, and stick to your principles, you can get rich. It really does work.

NetJets

We took a couple of hours to head out to the Omaha airport to tour the NetJets exhibit. When I get so ridiculously rich that money is not an object, there will be only one way to travel.

I had never been inside of a corporate jet before, and I was able to tour a Cessna Citation and Gulfstream 450. It was really “like a G6.” Wow. That was like walking straight into luxury.

Dreams

We can all dream of great things, but only some of us will actually get there. I intend to be one of those people.

The difference between the perpetual dreamers and those that reach their goals is planning and action. I know some people with a great retirement plan: “win the lotto.” My retirement plan is to work hard and aggressively save so I can retire early.

Some people wait around for their million dollar idea. I have tried a few. One in ten entrepreneurs succeeds, so as far as I am concerned it is a numbers game. Take action and keep trying, while learning from your past, and you can do anything.

I saw a $7.5 million ring at Borsheim’s. I plan to never spend to that level of excess, but it would be great to have the ability to buy that for future Mrs. Eric. I saw a long line of private jets at the airport terminal. I want to be able to do that someday (sooner than the $7.5 million ring.)

I want to be able to live my dreams, and the Berkshire weekend is proof that I can do it. I will. Just keep watching.

Photo by Afrika Expeditionary Force.