My Rich Dad Journey
By Kuzak Kahn
Posted Friday, August 20, 2004
Two years ago, a network marketer introduced me to Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. The book is about him and his two dads. Rich Dad is his best friend's father. He teaches Robert the laws of the rich. Poor Dad is his real dad. He suffers from worry caused by financial ignorance.
At the time, the book fascinated me, and I devoured it. Strongly persuasive, the book had me believing I had gone the wrong route. At that time, I was in the middle years of my prized medical school career.
The self-employed, it had said, work hard and long, but do not get the financial education to keep their finances in order. The trap of a substantial portion of doctors, lawyers, and accountants derives from their unwillingness to hire advisors, or their consumption of depreciating goods necessary to maintain status. Time lost by single-minded concentration on the area of specialty restricts time made for a financial education.
The book made sense almost simplistically. If you want your finances perfected, get a financial education. The best financial education comes from being a businessperson and an investor, not a self-employed worker or employee. Intrigued by his message, I dabbled in network marketing, but soon after my little stint in business, my second year of medical school arrived, consuming most of my time and leaving little time for anything else, let alone a financial education.
Two years later, the third year of medical school had finished, and I needed to decide on a medical specialty. However, something was not right during my decision-making process. An indecisiveness had taken a hold of me, of which the cause eventually revealed itself. The problem was not which specialty to choose, but which occupation to choose. After working in the hospital, medicine no longer lured me.
I eventually came across The Cashflow Quadrant, the second book of the Rich Dad series. Quickly, I ravished almost all of the Rich Dad books. His path towards financial freedom made sense to me, and I am currently searching for the path of which he speaks.
A hundred thousand dollars in debt, medical school has crippled my finances; the transition from medical school to the real world will be a challenge. For now, I will do what Robert Kiyosaki suggests: make money from nothing. Affiliate marketing appealed to me for its large risk-reward ratio. The price of admission equals zero, but the opportunities for gaining a business education will be numerous.
Robert Kiyosaki's ability to inspire passion through books has few equals. I believe in his premise, which states that getting a financial education decreases the risk associated with businesses and investing. As evidence, Donald Trump and Warren Buffet, while exceptions, continue to succeed deal after deal and investment after investment - not because of luck, but because of what they know.
Robert Kiyosaki not only made me think about my finances, he outlined what I wanted to do with my life. He said that business owners work for assets, and assets increase the chance of achieving freedom from financial worries. The Millionaire Mind by Thomas Stanley confirms his premise; from its survey of millionaires, two-thirds owned their own business. As contrarians, many of the millionaires thought it too risky not to become an entrepreneur.
As for the start of my journey, I built a webpage to dig out the jewels from Robert Kiyosaki's books and separate it from the fool's gold (which occasionally mars his pristine principles). I have also done what I have always dreamed of doing; as a rabid reader of self-help books, I give my own perspective of what it takes to build human potential.
My Rich Dad journey continues. If I take the path handed to me, then whether I win or lose, I will have lost. If I take the path of my own choosing, then whether I win or lose, I will have won. I know it sounds like a contradiction, but its not. Although money is on everyone's minds, it's life that's really at stake and doing what you love that's really important.
Passion is everyone's forte, but not everyone uses it. As for Rich Dad Poor Dad, its siren's song continues to attract me. Visit my website to learn more, but beware of the song's dangerous lure.
About the Author
Kuzak Kahn has created a website dedicated to the discussion of Rich Dad books, ideas, and principles. His website also includes several articles about developing business thinking tools. To read more about Rich Dad and the application of his principles, check out his website - Rich Dad Fans (http://richdadfans.biz-whiz.com)
