to yourself, “I’m going to become an entrepreneur in the B quadrant,” is as futile as a chain smoker saying, “Tomorrow I’m going to quit smoking.” Smoking is a physical addiction caused by emotional and spiritual challenges. Without emotional and spiritual support, the smoker will always be a smoker. The same is true for an alcoholic, a sex addict, or a chronic shopper. Most addictions are attempts to find happiness in people’s souls.
This is why my company offers courses for the mind and body, but also coaches and mentors to support the emotional and spiritual transitions.
A few people are able to make the journey alone, but I was not one of them. If not for a coach like my rich dad and the support of my wife Kim, I would not have made it. There were so many times I wanted to quit and give up. If not for Kim and my rich dad, I would have quit.
Why “A” Students Fail
Looking at the diagram again, it is easy to see why so many “A” students fail in the world of money.
A person may be highly educated mentally, but if they are not educated emotionally, their fear will often stop their body from doing what it must do. That is why so many “A” students get stuck in “analysis paralysis,” studying every little detail, but failing to do anything.
This “analysis paralysis” is caused by our educational system punishing students for making mistakes. If you think about it, “A” students are “A” students simply because they made the fewest mistakes. The problem with that emotional psychosis is that, in the real world, people who take action are the ones who make the most mistakes and learn from them to win in the game of life.
Just look at Presidents Clinton and Bush. Clinton could not admit he had sex and Bush could not recall any mistakes he made during his presidency. Making mistakes is human, but lying about your mistakes is criminal, a criminal act known as perjury.
When criticized for making 1,014 mistakes before creating the electric light bulb, Thomas Edison said, “I did not fail 1,014 times. I successfully found out what did not work 1,014 times.”
In other words, the reason so many people fail to achieve success is because they fail to fail enough times.
Looking at the diagram again, one of the reasons so many people cling to job security is because they lack emotional education. They let fear stop them.
One of the best things about military school and the Marine Corps is that these organizations spend a lot of time developing young men and women spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. Although it was a tough education, it was a complete education, preparing us to do a nasty job.
The reason I created the CASHFLOW game is because the game educates the whole person. The game is a better teaching tool than reading or lecture, simply because the game involves the body, mind, emotions, and spirit of the player.
The game is designed for players to make as many mistakes as possible with play money, and then learn from those mistakes. To me, this is a more humane way to learn about money.
The Path Is the Goal
Today, there are thousands of CASHFLOW clubs all over the world. One reason why CASHFLOW clubs are important is because they are a shelter from the storm, a way station on the path of life. By joining a CASHFLOW club, you get to meet people like you, people who are committed to making changes, not just talking about change.
Unlike school, there is not a requirement of past academic success. All that is asked is a sincere desire to learn and make changes. In the game, you will make a lot of mistakes in different financial situations and will learn from your mistakes, using play money.
CASHFLOW clubs are not for those who want to get rich quick. CASHFLOW clubs are there to support the long-term mental, emotional, spiritual, physical, and financial changes a person needs to go through. We all change and evolve at different rates of speed so you are encouraged to go at your own speed.
After playing the game with others a few times, you will have a better idea of what your next step should be and which of the four asset classes (business, real estate, paper assets, or commodities) is best for you.
In Conclusion
Finding one’s path is not necessarily easy. Even today, I do not really know if I am on my path or not. As you know, we all get lost at times, and it is not always easy to find our way back.
If you feel you are not in the right quadrant for you, or you are not on your life’s path, I encourage you to search your heart and find your path in life. You may know it is time to change if you are saying things like the following statements:
• “I’m working with dead people.”
• “I love what I do, but I wish I could make more money.”
• “I can’t wait for the weekend.”
• “I want to do my own thing.”
• “Is it quitting time yet?”
My sister is a Buddhist nun. Her path is to support the Dalai Lama, a path that pays nothing. Yet, although she earns little, it does not mean she has to be a poor nun. She has her own rental property and investments in gold and silver. Her strength of spirit and her financially educated mind allow her to follow her life’s path without taking a vow of poverty.
In many ways, it was a good thing I was labeled stupid in school. Although emotionally painful, that pain allowed me to find my life’s path as a teacher. And like my sister, the nun, just because I am a teacher does not mean I have to be a poor teacher.
Repeating what Thich Naht Hahn said: “The path is the goal.”
The CASHFLOW Quadrant® is a way to categorize people based on where their money comes from.
Are you financially free? If your life has come to a financial fork in the road, Rich Dad’s CASHFLOW Quadrant was written for you. If you want to take control of what you do today in order to change your financial destiny, this book will help you chart your course.
This is the CASHFLOW Quadrant. The letters in each quadrant represent:
Each of us resides in at least one of the four sections (quadrants) of the CASHFLOW Quadrant. Where we are is determined by where our cash comes from. Many of us are employees who rely on paychecks, while others are self-employed. Employees and self-employed individuals reside on the left side of the CASHFLOW Quadrant. The right side is for individuals who receive their cash from businesses
