Rich Dad Poor Dad, in case you didn’t already know, is one of the books written by Robert Kiyosaki. The idea for the book grew out of her experiences with two ‘fathers’ growing up. One father was a man with a traditional education who went through college and had a corporate-style career in education. The other father figure, who was actually the father of a friend, never graduated from college or did well in school in general, but created and ran successful businesses that made him rich. The lessons learned from each parent were invaluable in making the book a success because people rarely get to see both sides of the financial spectrum at the same time. His experiences help him explain the differences in mentality between the rich and the poor in a way that most people can understand.
Go to school, get good grades, get a job that pays well … Maybe.
As times change, so does the way we earn money. The classic advice of our parents and grandparents is ‘get a good education, find a good job in a good company, and the company will take care of you’. The sad part about that is that a lot of people still believe that! Times have changed, which also changes the way we make money. The problem with that is that the advice on how to make money has not changed.
Why the rich don’t work for money
This is probably the most important step in starting to understand how to create wealth in your life. Robert Kiyosaki explains that there is a trap that most people fall into and that it is fueled by fear and greed. It is the trap of exchanging your life for money and almost everyone has their price. Once the company or job the person is trying to get offers the right price, the trap is set. The fear of not having money to buy the necessities of life is the emotion that makes people look for work. It is the greed to finally get the money and start thinking about all the things you can buy with it that catches a person. Fear and greed keep the person waking up early and wasting their life on a job they probably don’t even like. And all it takes to keep them in the trap is a small increase each year that probably won’t change a thing in their life. Therefore, working hard for money will never change your life. A job is actually a short-term solution to a life-long problem. Just solve the problem for the moment because as soon as you stop working the money stops and the problem persists.
Why Being Rich Doesn’t Solve Everything
Since fear and greed are an emotion, having money in and of itself does not always solve the problem. If a mental change is not made and we cannot change our emotions so that they do not control us, the problems will continue. Problems such as the fear of not having enough money will persist. In addition to these problems, the rich man is also afraid of losing his money, of what people will think of him if he does not remain rich, of not being able to earn more and buy even more beautiful things. The emotions of fear and greed are still there even though money and abundance are present. That mental change must occur.
Don’t be the donkey that chases the carrot
Robert Kiyosaki compares most people’s lives to a donkey chasing a carrot. People are so focused on chasing after the next paycheck that they never take the time to step back and see where it leads. It is like the donkey chasing the carrot on a rope in front of him. He is taking the rider where he wants to go, but the donkey is only chasing an illusion. If the donkey knew what was going on, he might reconsider chasing that carrot and decide it is not worth it. We need to do the same and take a step back.
‘Living our lives in fear, never achieving our dreams, working hard for money, waking up in the middle of the night terrified of paying the bills is not a way to live.’ says Robert Kiyosaki. Realizing a job is only a temporary solution to money problems and learning to ‘use our emotions to think instead of thinking with your emotions’ is an important step out of the trap. Keep asking yourself ‘is working harder really going to solve my financial problems?’ Once you realize that you will not solve your problems, your conscience and your subconscious mind will start looking for ways to solve this problem. Start researching wealthy people, what they do and how they do it. Ask questions, read books, listen to audios, and attend seminars. Find out what the rich are doing and how you can emulate them instead of your carrot-chasing co-workers.
