“Life Is What You Make It,” the latest novel from musician turned author Peter Buffett, reads more like a novel than a self-help book as it is written almost exclusively as an anecdote. “Life Is What You Make It” was published in April.

 

“Life is What You Make It” is a book aimed at young adults in college searching for their calling. Throughout the book, Buffett describes his path to happiness and success, as well as suggests ways in which others may find their own.

 

Buffett is the son of Warren Buffet, the famously rich investor, so he grew up with a level of privilege few of us can imagine. While this may initially seem to make his advice less applicable, it is necessary to remember that  each of us have our own privileges, despite any previous or continuing hardship.

 

Buffett also finds new ways to define privilege as it applies to educational prospects. While for some, money keeps them from attending the best colleges, others find themselves trapped by family expectations to make money and are directed toward a career due only to its lucrative nature.

 

If Buffett’s readers walk away feeling unenlightened, it is because the essence of the writing is the same lesson taught to every 5-year-old child who dreams of becoming an astronaut. The book is drenched in the “follow your dreams” message, which isn’t exactly applicable for a matured reader that sees that mantra as obsolete.

 

However, it is Buffett’s purpose to make you a believer again in this idealistic perspective.

 

The most important lesson to take away from this book glares at you right from the title: life really is what you make it. While it is easy to view a multitude of options with a sense of fear and overload, Buffett reminds his readers that it is essential to feel responsible for and in control of your own destiny. People frequently rush in and out of education as if it is a path to somewhere.

 

“Pausing to look into one’s own heart is never a waste of time; it’s an investment of time,” said Buffett.

 

It’s important to recognize Buffett’s willingness to accept the time spent choosing one’s path. This is a very reassuring message to any undergraduate student worried about to their uncertainty in the future. It is essential not to allow Buffett’s focus on reaching a good place in life to obscure the enjoyment and journey of the current time, regardless of its apparent idleness.

 

“Wandering through a labyrinth of choices is not a symptom of being lost, but a necessary passage on the road to being found,” writes Buffet.