WARREN BUFFETT - SIX TRAITS THAT LED THE GREAT MAN

 Warren Buffett stepped down on September 18, 2026 as Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway at 96, a journey he began in 1970.  Early in Buffett's career, a member of a prominent Omaha family predicted over lunch that the young upstart would be broke within a year. Seventy years on, Bershire is up 6099.294%. The returns were the by-product. The character was always the point.

These are the six traits that made him great.

1.Rejection is not a verdict

Buffett was  certain of a seat at Harvard Business School. He had urged a friend to join him there, before he had even been accepted. A 10 minute interview ended it. He later called Harvard's rejection the pivotal episode of his life as it had guided him to his hero Benjamin Graham's classroom at Columbia.

Rejection today arrives faster and more publicly. Peers announce promotions you didn't get. Layoff lands by email.

Buffett's example is, a closed door is a measure of the target, not the archer, so re-aim

2. Audit your mistakes

He learned it at a very young age. 

Don't anchor on your purchase price. Don't grab a small profit to quiet your nerves.. Don't manage other people's money unless you are certain. Most of the people treat a  loss as bad luck and move on. Buffett treated it as tution and kept the notes.

3. Keep an inner score card

His father, Howard, judged himself only against his own standards. Buffett called him "a 100% inner scorecard guy" warning that anyone who lives for the world's opinion "will wind up with an Outer Scorecard."

The outer  scorecard displays, likes, followers and a screenshot of gains on the stock you .skipped.

He didn't get into the dotcom boom. He was ridiculed for that. After two years he was proved right.  In an era that rewards looking right, he optimised for being right.

4. Want less; be patient

The Buffett family motto might have been "spend less than you make" and "don't go into debt." He lived for decades in the house he bought in 1958. He took a hamburger over anything fancier.

It isn't a statement on thrift. He never converted future income into present obligations. A man who needs little money is never forced into a bad decision to get more of it. Desperation is expensive. Someone carrying fixed costs cannot afford to wait, and waiting was Buffett's entire edge.

5. Be sceptical of incentives

Buffett remembered a question put to him, "What stock do you like," forever. The rule he framed for himself was,"praise by name, criticise by category." He was sceptical of incentives. "Don't ask the barber whether you need a haircut," was a line that had been most useful to him. His principle was to listen politely and then ask who gets paid if you say yes to those who solicit business promising quick returns

6. Find your Charlie Munger

Everyone needs at least one sparring partner sharp enough to say "that's a dumb idea," and trusted enough to be heard.

Buffett's most valuable partnership began with long phone calls to Charlie Munger, lawyer at    Los Angeles. When Munger's wife asked why he paid such attention to this Omaha fellow, Munger replied,"That is no ordinary human being."

For six decades, Munger's real job was not to agree with Buffett. It was to tell him when he was wrong. Buffett credited him with the habit of studying failures, instead of admiring successes. 

Krishnan Ranganathan writes in The Times of India of October 1, 2026. 

MESSAGES FROM THE HEART

The early signs of heart disease never look like a medical emergency to most. The seemingly ordinary symptoms can be the body's first indication that something is seriously wrong -             - - A persistent bout of fatigue. Breatlessness that seems easy to blame on a hectic schedule. Discomfort in the jaw, back or shoulders that is dismissed as muscle strain. 

Recognising heart disease symptoms early can save lives and prevent cardiovascular deaths. Heart disease remains world's leading killer where one in three lives are lost due to its rampage. 

While advances in treatment have improved the outcomes, awareness remains still a challenge.  People, at first, tend to ignore the symptoms that arise.  The cardinal neglect delays diagnosis. And precious time is lost even as quick intervention could make rapid differences.

The burden of cardiovascular disease is quite large. CVDs claim about 17.9 million lives annually which is one third of all the deaths worldwide with more than four in five resulting from heart attacks and strokes.

Many cardiovascular signs develop silently. Elevated blood pressure may remain sans symptom for years together.  Cholestrol level goes up unchecked. Diabetes damages nerves and hides the warning signs.  Consequently, significant cardiovascular damage occurs before symptoms prompt medical attention.

Cardiovascular disease may arise silently. But the symptoms should not be overlooked. They include - unexplained breathlessness, unusual fatigue, dizziness, sweating, nausea, pain spreading from the chest to the arm, shoulders, back, neck, or jaw.

Symptoms may be atypical in women and people with diabetes, making them easier to miss.

The risk can be obviated by regular blood pressure checks, consistent physical activity, a balanced diet, adequate sleep, effective stress management and giving up smoking.

Women may experience atypical fatigue, breathlessness, nausea, heaviness in the chest or pain radiating to the jaw or back, symptoms often mistaken for stress or acidity. 

Adults, as the advance in age, may appear weak, dizzy or less active.

Emergency cardiac care doesnot begin at the hospital. The initial response can make  significant difference in a cardiac emergency. 

Knowing the warning signs, knowing when to call for help and knowing the difference betwenn a heart attack and a cardiac arrest can turn an ordinary bystander into the first link in the patient's chance for survival.

Heart disease is often preventable. But prevention has to begin with awareness. 

Recognising symptoms, knowing the risk factors, getting screened and acting on unusual warning signs  improve outcomes manifold. 

Fact is, efficient management of health condition  reduces cardiovascular risk to a great extent.

Warnig signs not be ignored

1. Persistent or unusual fatigue.
2. Shortness of breath without a clear cause.
3. Chest pressure, heaviness or discomfort
4. Pain spreading to the arm, shoulders, neck, jaw or back.
5. Dizziness, weakness or sudden sweating.
6. Nausea or syptoms mistaken for acidity.
7. Reduced stamina, confusion or unexpected decline in activity

Courtesy 'Listen to THE HEART',  A Lifetime in every Beat,  World Heart Day Special, The Times of India on 29thSeptember2026 

STENT

 A stent opens a narrowed artery. It does not remove the risk behind coronary artery disease. High blood pressure, high cholestrol, diabetes, smoking, physical inactivity and an unhealthy diet can continue to affect the heart and the blood vessels.

The coronary stent is a small mesh tube placed inside a narrowed or blocked artery to restore blood flow. It is inserted through a catheter, usually via the wrist or groin. The procedure is called PCI - Percutaneous Coronary Intervention. Recovery continues  after the procedure with  medication, lifestyle changes and follow up,  playing major roles.

After a stent, taking care of the self is important.

Adherence to medication is crucial.

A stent may address a blockage. Protecting the heart, however,  is an ongoing process. Smoking must be avoided even if medicines are consumed with discipline. Parting with the drugs leads to formation of clots inside the stent. 

Lifestyle changes are unavoidable to keep the heart healthy.

Stenting is not always the primary option. It is resorted to only after lifestyle modifications and drugs. However in an emergency with 100 percent blockage, stenting is carried out at once.

The coronary stent brings significant relief to a large number of patiens. It eases the symptoms. It assists the patients to return to an active and healthy life. 

It marks the beginning of an ongoing approach to heart health driven by the active role of drugs, lifestyle changes and regular follow up.

It secures  the heart. The quality of life leaps beyond  barriers.

It is resilence all the way.

Indebted to 'A stent is not the finish line' by Nayanthara Rajeev in,  A Lifetime in every Beat,  World Heart Day Special, The Times of India on 29thSeptember2026 

KNOW EXACTLY

 

Know exactly where you go wrong.

Address

In real life mistakes and errors are normal occurrences. 

The winners locate them fast. 

They are not led by false ego.

They retract at once.

They win

WHEN YOU ARE CHALLENGED

When you are under pressure and if there are butterflies in your stomach, never let them fly all over the place. Make  them fly in formation.

Your journey is not for the fainthearted.

When you trail, you must fight and survive.

Draw from your bucket of amazing experiences.

Keep your focus on what you are striving for.

Though you know very well you could be outwitted and outfought, keep those distracting thoughts off.

Try your best. Fight with all your heart.

Believe you can do it.

FAIL OR LOSE, IT HURTS. KEEPS YOU GOING

 

Asian Games. Nagoya. 2026. Badminton.

Three points. It separated P.V.Sindhu from what could have been her third Assian games Medal. It is very difficult for her to shake them off. Sindhu lost in the quarter final to        China's Chen Yufei,  21-11, 18-21, 10-21.

Sindhu says, "My Asian Games campaign is over. I am hurting. Three points from closing out the match. I keep coming to those three points."

"I had my chance. Letting it slip hurts."

"My team and I are working on closing those three moments. We'll fix it."

The circumstances  make the defeat hard to swallow.

"Three matches in 18 hours. Back at 3 am. Out again at 8.30 am. It took a toll. But after a camp that gave me every reason to believe, I wanted so much more."

"One painful result cannot define a journey that means so much."

"I am hurting. That's okay. I am glad it still means enough to hurt this much. I still want this."   

"That feeling keeps me going.'

This is the truth. Fail or Lose, it hurts. But it keeps you going.

This is the greatest lesson we can have in our lives. Go back to the drawing board. Unmindful of failures we have to keep going. It takes us to our goal.

KERALA'S MIGRATION STORY

 

Malayalis leaving Kerala is not new. Most of those leaving are Christians. That will one day make us a micro-minority here.

I asked an educationist about it. His answer stayed with me.

"Because Jesus's vision of the Kingdom of God is a universal vision, and therefore Christians tend to feel more at home wherever they go, even the remotest parts of the globe, as compared to other communities."

BINU ALEX
Rediff News
26.09.2026
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