@@@@@ Even when he was flat broke after a major
@@@@@ Even when he was flat broke after a major financial setback, he continued to refer to himself as a rich manHe would cover himself by saying, "There is a difference between being poor and being broke- Broke is temporary, and poor is eternal
My poor dad would also say, "I'm not interested in money," or "Money doesn't matter My rich dad always said, "Money is power
The power of our thoughts may never be measured or appreciated, but it became obvious to me as a young boy to be aware of my thoughts and how I expressed myselfI noticed that my poor dad was poor not because of the amount of money he earned, which was significant, but
because of his thoughts and actionsAs a young boy, having two fathers, I became acutely aware of being careful which thoughts I chose to adopt as my ownWhom should I listen to-my rich dad or my poor dad?
Although both men had tremendous respect for education and learning, they disagreed in what they thought was important to learnOne wanted me to study hard, earn a degree and get a good job to work for moneyHe wanted me to study to become a professional, an attorney or an accountant or to go to business school for my MBAThe other encouraged me to study to be rich, to understand how money works and to learn how to have it work for me"I don't work for money!" were words he would repeat over and over, "Money works for me!"
At the age of 9, I decided to listen to and learn from my rich dad about moneyIn doing so, I chose not to listen to my poor dad, even though he was the one with all the college degrees

A Lesson From Robert Frost

Robert Frost is my favourite poetAlthough I love many of his poems, my favorite is The Road Not TakenI use its lesson almost daily:

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden blackOh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads onto way, I doubted if I should ever come back
I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence; Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference
Robert Frost(1916)

And that made all the difference
Over the years, I have often reflected upon Robert Frost's poemChoosing not to listen to my highly educated dad's advice and attitude about money was a painful decision, but it was a decision that shaped the rest of my life
Once I made up my mind whom to listen to, my education about money beganMy rich dad taught me over a period of 30 years, until I was age 39He stopped once he realized that I knew and fully understood what he had been trying to drum into my often thick s