What Warren Buffet's eating habits can teach you about your career

Have you ever heard the phrase “you are what you eat”? It may be a well-worn cliché, but it still contains an important point: your diet is a reflection of your behavior, habits, and routine, which all go a long way into how you operate in other facets of your life—including your career and professional pursuits. It’s true: looking at someone’s diet can give you a real glimpse into the rest of his or her life. According to a recent article by Entrepreneur, a good diet powers a strong mind, serves to properly fuel you as you pursue your daily goals, and helps boost your focus, memory, and sharpness. So, if you’re looking to get on the fast track to success, why not try to follow in the footsteps of someone who has already made it there? You couldn’t choose a more successful person to focus on than Warren Buffet, legendary investor and one of the world’s wealthiest individuals. It can be a challenge to quickly pinpoint why Buffet has achieved such stratospheric levels of success in a field where so many others have tried and failed, but perhaps a glimpse into his eating habits might help shed some light. Keep reading! It may surprise you that Warren Buffet is a self-proclaimed junk food junky. It’s true—when asked, he has no problem jokingly telling others that he has the diet of a typical six-year-old. Sugary sodas, processed meals, and snack foods that would not be considered “nutritious” factor largely into his daily eating routine. Not exactly what the average nutritionist would endorse if you want your mind and body working at their optimum levels. However, if you think this is a ringing endorsement of unhealthy eating habits and a green light for you to live on junk food in order to achieve your career goals, think again! While we aren’t saying that the secret to success lies at the bottom of a bag of potato chips or a glass of soda, there are some hidden lessons to be learned from how Warren Buffet makes eating choices in his life.

Don’t follow trends.

It’s tough to go through an entire day without hearing about the dangers of junk food and why eating all sorts of healthy meals or getting on the latest fad diets are essential for getting your life on track and keeping it there. In fact, it takes a really strong-willed person who marches to the beat of their own drummer to ignore these messages. And that’s part of what makes Buffet a success—he doesn’t follow trends when he eats or invests, he sticks to his instincts and what he knows best, and he thinks outside of the box when making decisions. You won’t see Buffet following the latest trends when he eats a meal or makes an investment decision, and not following the crowd has helped him achieve success.

Pursue what you like.

Buffet likes junk food and processed meals, so that’s what he reaches for when he’s hungry. Simple. His approach to life is a lot like his approach to meal choices. He follows his passion and pleasures, one of which is investing, and it has helped him achieve sustained, long-term success over many decades. Buffet is well into his 80s and he’s still going strong!

Eat quickly and get on with your life.

Buffet does not spend a lot of time and effort on making complicated meal choices. When he’s hungry, he grabs something quick and close by and moves on to other more important tasks and challenges in his day. The truth is, there are a limited number of hours in a day, and successful people like Buffet would rather spend precious time working towards achieving goals than planning nutritious meals. The lesson here is make the most of your time and devote your energy towards achieving your goals. Here’s the bottom line—a diet full of junk food won’t make you an instant success like Buffet, but following the thought process he employs to various areas in his life, from food to investing, can help you achieve your goals. Staying focused and committed, following your instincts instead of trends, and pursuing your passion might be the right recipe for success in your life!