Robert Kiyosaki
Author of Increase Your Financial IQ &amap; Rich Dad / Poor Dad
Robert Kiyosaki had two dads - a rich one and a poor one.
One dad was highly educated and intelligent; he had a Ph.D. and had completed four years of under-graduate work in less than two years. He then went to Stanford University, the University of Chicago, and Northwestern University to do his advanced studies. All on full, financial scholarships.
His other dad never finished the eighth grade. Both men were successful in their careers, working hard all their lives. Both earned substantial incomes.
Yet one dad struggled financially all his life and the other dad would become one of the richest men in Hawaii. One died leaving tens of millions of dollars to his family, charities, and his church. The other left a legacy of unpaid bills. Both men were strong, charismatic, and influential. Both men offered Robert advice, but they did not advise the same things.
Having two dads as advisors offered him the perspective of contrasting points of view: one of a rich man and one of a poor man. The problem was that his rich dad was not yet rich, and his poor dad not yet poor. Both were just starting out in their careers; both were struggling with money and families.
But, regardless of those facts, both had very different points of view on the subject of money.
One dad would say, "The love of money is the root of all evil." The other, "The lack of money is the root of all evil." Having two dads - and loving them both - forced Robert to think about, and ultimately choose, a way of thinking for himself.
Robert had to think about each dad's advice and, in doing so, gained valuable insights into the power and effect of one's thoughts on one's life. For example: his poor dad had a habit of saying, "I can't afford it." His rich dad forbade those words to be used. He insisted that Robert say, "How can I afford it?" One is a statement, the other a question. One lets you off the hook; the other forces you to think. His rich dad would explain that by automatically saying the words "I can't afford it" your brain stops working. By asking the question "How can I afford it?" your brain is put to work.
His rich dad did not mean 'buy everything you wanted.' He was, though, fanatical about exercising your mind – the most powerful computer in the world. His rich dad said: "My brain gets stronger every day because I exercise it. The stronger it gets, the more money I can make." He believed that automatically saying "I can't afford it" was a sign of mental laziness.
Although both dads worked hard, Robert noticed that his Poor Dad had a habit of putting his brain to sleep when it came to money matters. His Rich Dad, on the other hand, made a habit of exercising his brain. The long-term result was that one dad grew stronger financially and the other grew weaker.
Being a product of two strong dads allowed Robert the luxury of observing the effects that different thoughts have on one's life. He noticed that people really do shape their lives through their thoughts.
The power of our thoughts may never be measured or appreciated, but it became obvious to him as a young boy that there was value and power in being aware of his thoughts and how he expressed himself. Robert noticed that his poor dad was poor not because of the amount of money he earned – which was significant – but because of his thoughts and actions. As a young boy having two fathers he became acutely aware of being careful in deciding which thoughts Robert chose to adopt as his own and to whom should he listen – his rich dad or his poor dad?
At the age of nine Robert decided to listen to and learn from his rich dad about money. In doing so, he chose not to listen to his poor dad – his real dad – even though he was the one with all the college degrees.
One of his dads is a multi-millionaire. The other is a poor man. Why? Very simply, it comes down to their respective attitudes toward money and life.
Understanding the difference in attitudes between rich dad and poor dad – is essential to taking the first steps to financial freedom.
For a comprehensive look at how to battle the Poor Dad mentality and adopt the Rich Dad state of mind, learn more about the tools we offer to help you on your journey to financial freedom.
