Mission Impossible, Resurrected

I wanted to meet Mr. Warren Buffett, an investment guru, since I learned about him at age of 7 from stories my father told me from a book called The Snow Ball. In Grade 7, my father told me that Mr. Buffett was hosting the annual Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Meeting, so I asked my father whether we could see Mr. Buffett there. My father made the arrangement, and my family flew all the way to Omaha just to see Mr. Buffett. I admire most financial gurus not because they are wealthy, but because they are sagacious. Their wealth is merely a side effect of their wisdom.

At the meeting, there were huge swaths of people. In fact, there were 30 thousand people! Hence, on the first day, Mr. Buffett was on the central stage all day long, and I had no chance of meeting Mr. Buffett. On the second day, Mr. Buffett is no longer on the stage, but wherever he went, the crowd followed like how bees follow nectar. The mission seemed impossible, and I started to get discouraged. However, my father encouraged me again and again, telling me not to give up. He helped me searched for some people who had some insider info on the best places to meet Mr. Buffett. We connected with people and told them my desire, and many of them were kind enough to introduce us to some people who might know better. Eventually we found a reporter, who introduced us to more insiders in turn. At the end, we found out that the best place to meet Mr. Buffett is a place that he was very likely to go, but not announced to the public. I arrived at the place four hours early and waited until Mr. Buffett came. At the place, there were still a considerable number of people, but I was well prepared. When Mr. Buffett arrived, I rushed up first, despite the presence of bodyguards. I voiced my request, and Mr. Buffett signed my 2013 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Report with a smile.

Through persistence and planning with my father’s courage and great assistance, I managed to receive even the hardest achievements, and I was well rewarded. Although it was partly luck whether Mr. Buffett would really show up, or whether the bodyguards would have allowed me to get through, I gave it my best shot. I hoped for the best, and prepared for the worst. I have learned from this experience that no matter how daunting the achievement is, it is viable, as long as I persist through a solid plan. As a maxim goes:

A challenge only becomes an obstacle when you bow to it — Ray Davis