My Rich Dad Journey

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.

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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