Rich Dad's Guide to Becoming Rich Without Cutting Up Your Credit Cards. Robert T. Kiyosaki

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СКАЧАТЬ talents is often the price we pay to be rich.”

      Rich dad continued, “The world is filled with smart, talented, and gifted people who are not what we would call successful financially, professionally, or in their personal relationships. While each of us has gifts and strengths, each of us also has personal challenges and weaknesses to overcome. No one is perfect. That is why I say that the price is different for different people—because each of us has different challenges. The only people who think life should be easy are lazy people.”

      I do not know if rich dad’s statement about lazy people is true or not. I do know that his statement has been useful for me whenever I find myself complaining about things not being easy or things not going my way. When I find myself saying, “I wish things were easier,” I know I am getting lazy. So I take a break, check my attitude, and ask myself about the long-term price of having that attitude. It’s not that I don’t look for an easier way to do things. I am simply aware that when I tend to be lazy, cheap, or act like a spoiled brat, I need to ask myself what the price might be for that behavior.

      Money Is the Reward for Paying the Price

      Rich dad would also say, “Ask anyone who is rich, famous, or successful, and I am sure they will tell you that they had and have personal challenges and demons to face every day along the way. There is no free lunch. My challenge was that I had no education and no money when I started out. I also had a family to feed when my father died. I was thirteen years old when I was given that challenge—and there were even greater challenges to come. Yet I managed to pay the price and, in the end, I achieved great wealth. In hindsight, money was my reward for paying the price.”

      The Price of Security

      Over the years, rich dad made sure that his son Mike and I were always aware of the price of something. When my real dad, the man I call my poor dad, advised me to find “a safe secure job,” rich dad’s reply was, “Remember, there is a price for security.”

      When I asked him what the price was, he answered, “For most people, the price of security is personal freedom. And without freedom, many people spend their lives working for money, rather than living out their dreams. For me, to live life without achieving my dreams is much too high a price to pay for security.”

      He also commented on taxes, saying, “People who seek security over freedom pay more in taxes. That is why people who have safe, secure jobs pay more in taxes than people who own the businesses that provide the jobs.”

      I spent a few days thinking about that comment, letting the magnitude of the idea sink in. The next time I saw rich dad, I asked him, “Do I have to choose between security or freedom? In other words, does that mean I can have one, but not the other?”

      Rich dad laughed after he realized how much thought I had given to his remark. “No,” he replied, still chuckling. “You don’t have to have one or the other. You can have both.”

      “You mean I can have both security and freedom?” I asked.

      “Sure,” he said. “I have both.”

      “So why did you say that, for most people, the price of security is personal freedom?” I asked. “How can you have both when you say most people can have only one? What’s the difference?”

      “The price,” said rich dad. “I’ve always said to you that everything has a price. Most people are willing to pay the price for security, but they are not willing to pay the price for freedom. That is why most people have only one of the two. They only have one or the other.”

      “And why do you have both security and freedom?” Mike asked. He had just entered the room and had heard only part of the conversation.

      “Because I paid twice the price,” said rich dad. “I was willing to pay the price for both security and freedom. It’s no different than having two cars. Let’s say I need a truck, but I also want a sports car. If I want both, I pay twice the price. Most people go through life paying for one or the other, but not both.”

      “So there is a price for security, and there is a price for freedom,” I said. “And you paid the price for both.” I repeated what rich dad had just said so that I could let the idea sink into my head.

      Rich dad nodded. “Yes, but let me add one more point to clarify what it means to be willing to pay the price to have both. You see, we all pay a price anyway. We pay a price even if we don’t pay the price.”

      “What?” I replied, frowning and shaking my head. Rich dad now seemed to be speaking in circles.

      “Let me explain,” said rich dad, gesturing with his hands that we should calm down. “Do you remember when I helped the two of you with your science homework a few weeks ago when you were studying Newton’s laws?”

      Mike and I nodded.

      “Do you remember the third law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction?”

      Again we nodded.

      “That is kind of how a jet flies through the air,” said Mike. “The engine propels hot air backward, and the jet moves forward.”

      “That’s right,” said rich dad. “Since Newton’s laws are universal laws, they apply to everything, not only jet engines.” Rich dad looked at the two of us to see if we were following what he had just said. “Everything,” he repeated, just to make sure we understood.

      “Okay, everything,” said Mike, a little frustrated at the repetition.

      Suspecting that we were not really getting his point about everything, rich dad continued, “When I say ‘everything,’ I mean it quite literally.” He went on, “Do you recall my lessons about financial statements? Do you remember my explanation that, if there is an expense, then there must be income somewhere else?”

      Now I was beginning to understand what he meant by “everything.” Newton’s universal laws also applied to financial statements.

      “So for every asset, there has to be a liability,” I said. Just to let him know that I was beginning to follow his thinking, I added, “A universal law applies to everything.”

      “And for something to be up, something else must be down. And for something to be old, something else has to be new,” added Mike.

      “Correct,” rich dad said with a smile.

      “So how does this apply to security and freedom and your willingness to pay twice the price?” asked Mike.

      “Good question,” said rich dad. “It’s important because, if you don’t pay twice the price, you’ll never get what you want anyway. In other words, if you don’t pay twice the price, you do not get what you paid for in the first place.”

      “What?” I replied. “If you don’t pay twice, you don’t get what you paid for?”

      Rich dad nodded his head and began to explain. “People who pay the price only for security may never really feel secure—like in job security,” he stated boldly. “A person may have a false sense of security, but they never really feel secure.”

      “So even though my dad has what he thinks is a safe, secure job, deep down he never really feels secure?” I asked.

      “That’s СКАЧАТЬ