Life update: I saw Warren Buffett retire in person, and 6 other things to do in the first week of May in Omaha. :)

1. Attend VALUExBRK: If you attended, you might have met me manning the doors. There were some amazing talks here, you can watch the recording (highly recommended) here.
2. Make friends while waiting in line at 4 AM for the Berkshire Hathaway AGM: Multiple people, including Guy and Mohnish, talk about this. There’s something to waiting in line at 4AM that brings people together.
3. Meet incredibly successful people, true titans of industry: If you know the right places, you will meet some of the most accomplished people in the business and investing world.
4. Shopping at the CHI health center: buy great products you hear of and own as part of Berkshire. Chocolate fudge by See’s candies was my favorite :)
5. Go for a run in the Brooks 5K in Omaha: You have to balance off the Chocolate fudge.
6. The Berkshire Q&A: Watch Buffett answer questions posed by any of the 40,000 attendees with clarity, wit, and insight of someone half his age.

Traveling across the world to see the Berkshire annual meeting was surreal. A dream come true to watch and learn from the best in the world. The Annual meeting is a celebration that will leave you feeling grateful, and inspired to achieve greater things. The biggest takeaways for me:

1. Lead with your interest and curiosity. This theme was repeated almost daily by different people in Omaha (including Buffett!). All were highly successful in their respective fields, and more importantly, felt joy in talking about their work.
2. Compounding goes far beyond money. All good things in life - friendships, careers, relationships, hobbies, health - are improved through years of consistent effort and compounding.

To all the friends and idols I met in Omaha and so many more, thank you :) It was meeting all of you that made the Berkshire meeting a celebration over and above an AGM. Special thanks to team Aquamarine Capital and Guy for having made this possible for me!

I urge anyone remotely interested in business and/or investing, to attend this celebration of human capabilities. You will come back far richer, through the friendships you make, the folksy atmosphere of Omaha, and the lessons you learn.

For anyone interested in attending the Berkshire meeting, have a look at Tilman’s fantastic guide to attending the Berkshire meeting here.