Sabin, DaVIS, HETRICK, ANDEREGG, Macalady, walker, darling and Katers

A third grader asks his grandpa, “Who do you admire?”

“One is Warren Buffet. He has principles and principles don’t change. They are your guide to help you be happy, successful, and care for others. You are never too young to learn them.”

Find work that you love

Even when you are very young you will boost your chance of success and happiness. Learn to like work, not sitting around being lazy. Find joy in working hard and focus on that. Any job can create satisfaction. Warren Buffet happens to like working and reading about numbers. He likes to say he’s been able to “tap dance to work.” He means he likes to do his work. Search for things you really like in school. They are there. Pay attention in school, ask questions, volunteer, participate, discuss, and work hard. Buffet says, “I just have a great time time every day. I’m getting to do exactly what I want to do in life and it doesn’t get any better than that.”

Stay calm under pressure

Warren Buffet avoids making emotional decisions, panicking, losing his temper, or acting out. Take deep breaths, count to ten, say a little prayer, take a walk, make a little joke, laugh it off, or chuckle and discuss later.

Don’t compromise your integrity

Help someone when you know it’s the right thing to do. If someone is being bullied on the playground don’t be a bystander. Tell someone of authority, speak out, or redirect the group. If someone is lying, stealing, or cheating, get out of there. Don’t be a part of the situation.

Never stop learning

Warren Buffet reads, learns from books and newspapers, asks questions, and thinks. He reads 500 pages a day. Always have a couple books going–school books, fiction, and nonfiction. Have an insatiable appetite for learning. “That’s how knowledge builds up like compound interest,” Buffet says. Compound interest is when you earn money on the money you’ve already made.

Polish your communication skills

Talk in front of groups of people every chance you have. Volunteer to be in front of people. Mr. Buffett is known for his folksy way of talking about subjects so people can understand. He said he was terrified about public speaking and had to learn how to do it in a Dale Carnegie class. He faced his fears and overcame them.

Don’t overspend

You don’t need all that stuff. Keep life simple.

Stick to your principles

Think for yourself. Don’t always follow your friends. Your parents and faith have taught you right from wrong. Some books to read areBecoming Warren Buffett by Roger Lowenstein; IBD Buffett article by Adam Shell, for adults; The Tale of Tortoise Buffettby Lucas Remmerswaal, for kids;wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons; grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com; Facebook and Pinterest.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Grandparents Teach, Too is a non-profit organization of elementary and preschool teachers from Marquette, Michigan. The writers include: Jan Sabin, Mary Davis, Jean Hetrick, Cheryl Anderegg, Esther Macalady, Colleen Walker, Fran Darling, and Iris Katers. Their mission since 2009 is to help parents, grandparents, and other caregivers of young children provide fun activities to help prepare young children for school and a life long love of learning. They are supported by Great Start, Parent Awareness of Michigan, the U.P. Association for the Education of Young Children, Northern Michigan School of Education, the Upper Peninsula Children’s Museum and the Northern Michigan University Center for Economic Education.