I was watching a lively discussion between Bill Gates and Warren Buffet the other night and I was struck by two things Warren Buffet said. Someone asked him what was one of the best things about receiving his MBA from Columbia and he said while he learned a great deal and some of his instructors had critical information to impart, the best thing about being there was the opportunity he had to be inspired on a daily basis. He had some fabulous mentors and people who did more than convey knowledge but who inspired him all of the time. He talked about how important it is to surround yourself with people who inspire you and if you aren’t, find them.

The other thing he said that I loved was the idea of being a passive or an active investor. Someone in the audience asked him about how to invest in times like these. He talked about how he bought his first stock when he was 11 years old and how he has been studying stocks actively his whole life. He made the distinction between an active investor, someone who is willing to turn 12,000 pages of a stock book to learn what to buy and find the best bargains and a passive investor who is better off just going with an Index Fund. While the Index Fund is a fairly safe and easy way to go, it will likely never give the return a  portfolio of individual and researched stocks will.

When it came to active investing he said that nobody can tell you where the best bargains are, you have to go and find them YOURSELF. You have to be willing to turn each and every page yourself. There are no shortcuts for this. You may get a list of the top 10 stocks to buy on your favorite money show but you can’t actually think that people are passing off the best information to the general population for free do you?

So I walked away from this conversation with two important pieces firing up my brain. 1) It got me thinking about those who inspire me and how important those people have been in my life. People like Dr. Marlaire, Dr. May and Dr. Kennedy – a few of my professors in graduate school who constantly pushed me beyond my comfort zone and inspired me not only by what they taught but how they were applying what they knew to make serious contributions to their field. People like Caroline Myss and Gretchen Rubin, writers and people who are contributing original material to their field and impacting the lives of thousands. And my parents, brother and aunts and uncles who inspire me every day with how much they do and contribute to the world around them whether in law, business or their community.  All of these people drive me to do more and accomplish the big dreams I have.

Who inspires you?

2) The other critical piece of this conversation got me thinking about the difference between the people who turn their own pages and those who are content to sit by and let others do it for them. As I look around and notice the people around me now I realize there are a lot more people who just want the pages turned for them than there are who day after day turn their own.

These are the people who want to be published but don’t want to write the book, be super fit but don’t want to put in the work on a daily basis year after year, want to earn a half a million or a million dollars in their business but don’t want to work more than 25 hours a week or the people who simply feel entitled to have great people, great wealth and great victories in their life without being great first.

You can say whatever you want about your goals or the things you want to accomplish but the simple truth is unless you are willing to turn the pages yourself you’re likely never going to be the next Bill Gates or Warren Buffet or even Paul Martin or Gretchen Rubin of your industry.

So, are you willing to turn your own pages starting today?