《富爸爸,穷爸爸(英文版)》第44章

or　three　years；　while　working　for　Xerox；　I　spent　my　spare　time　learning　to　master　the　art　of　buying　foreclosures。　I"ve　made　several　million　dollars　using　that　formula；　but　today；　it"s　too　slow　and　too　many　other　people　are　doing　it。
So　after　I　mastered　that　formula；　I　went　in　search　of　other　formulas。　For　many　of　the　classes；　I　did　not　use　the　information　I　learned　directly；　"i｜　but　I　always　learned　something　new。
I　have　attended　classes　designed　for　only　derivative　traders；　also　a　class　for　modity　option　traders　and　a　class　for　Chaologists。　I　was　way　out　of　my　league；　being　in　a　room　full　of　people　with　doctorates　in　nuclear　physics　and　space　science。　Yet；　I　learned　a　lot　that　made　my　stock　and　real　estate　investing　more　meaningful　and　lucrative。　Most　junior　colleges　and　munity　colleges　have　classes　on　financial　planning　and　buying　of　traditional　investments。　They　are　great　places　to　start。
So　I　always　search　for　a　faster　formula。　That　is　why；　on　a　fairly　regular　basis；　I　make　more　in　a　day　than　many　people　will　make　in　their　lifetime。
Another　side　note。　In　today"s　fast…changing　world；　it"s　not　so　much　what　you　know　anymore　that　counts；　because　often　what　you　know　is　old。 It　is　how　fast　you　learn。　That　skill　is　priceless。 It"s　priceless　in　finding　faster　formulas…recipes；　if　you　will；　for　making　dough。　Working　hard　for　money　is　an　old　formula　born　in　the　day　of　cave　men。
5。　PAY　YOURSELF　FIRST：　The　power　of　self…discipline。　If　you　cannot　get　control　of　yourself；　do　not　try　to　get　rich。　You　might　first　want　to　join　the　Marine　Corps　or　some　religious　order　so　you　can　get　control　of　yourself。　It　makes　no　sense　to　invest；　make　money　and　blow　it。　It　is　the　lack　of　self…discipline　that　causes　most　lottery　winners　to　go　broke　soon　after　winning　millions。 It　is　the　lack　of　self…discipline　that　causes　people　who　get　a　raise　to　immediately　go　out　and　buy　a　new　car　or　take　a　cruise。
It　is　difficult　to　say　which　of　the　ten　steps　is　the　most　important。 But　of　all　the　steps；　this　step　is　probably　the　most　difficult　to　master　if　it　is　not　already　a　part　of　your　makeup。　I　would　venture　to　say　that　it　is　the　lack　of　personal　self…discipline　that　is　the　No。　1　delineating　factor　between　the　rich；　the　poor　and　the　middle　class。
Simply　put；　people　who　have　low　self…esteem　and　low　tolerance　for　financial　pressure　can　never；　and　I　mean　never；　be　rich。　As　I　have　said；　a　lesson　learned　from　my　rich　dad　was　that　〃the　world　will　push　you　around。〃　The　world　pushes　people　around　not　because　other　people　are　bullies；　but　because　the　individual　lacks　internal　control　and　discipline。　People　who　lack　internal　fortitude　often　bee　victims　of　those　who　have　self…discipline。
In　the　entrepreneur　classes　I　teach；　I　constantly　remind　people　to　not　focus　on　their　product；　service　or　widget；　but　to　focus　on　developing　management　skills。　The　three　most　important　management　skills　necessary　to　start　your　own　business　are：
1。 Management　of　cash　flow。
2。 Management　of　people。
3。　Management　of　personal　time。
I　would　say；　the　skills　to　manage　these　three　apply　to　anything；　not　just　entrepreneurs。　The　three　matter　in　the　way　you　live　your　life　as　an　individual；　or　as　part　of　a　family；　a　business；　a　charitable　organization；　a　city　or　a　nation。
Each　of　these　skills　is　enhanced　by　the　mastery　of　self　discipline。　I　do　not　take　the　saying　〃pay　yourself　first〃　lightly。
The　Richest　Man　in　Babylon；　by　George　Classen；　is　where　the　statement　〃pay　yourself　first〃　es　from。　Millions　of　copies　have　been　sold。 But　while　millions　of　people　freely　repeat　that　powerful　statement；　few　follow　the　advice。　As　I　said；　financial　literacy　allows　one　to　read　numbers；　and　numbers　tell　the　story。 By　looking　at　a　person"s　ine　statement　and　balance　sheet；　I　can　readily　see　if　people　who　spout　the　words　〃pay　yourself　first〃　actually　practice　what　they　preach。
A　picture　is　worth　a　thousand　words。 So　let"s　again　pare　the　financial　statements　of　people　who　pay　themselves　first　against　someone　who　doesn"t。
People　who　pay　themselves　first
＋＋
Job………》｜Ine ｜
^ ｜… ｜
｜ ｜　Expense ｜ ｜
＋＋ ｜
＋……《
…｜＋
｜ Assets ｜ Liabilities ｜
｜ ｜ ｜
｜_________｜____________｜
Someone　who　pays　everyone　else　first…　Often　there　is　nothing　left
＋＋
Job………》｜Ine ｜
｜…
｜　Expense ｜　》　Nothing　left！
＋＋
………＋
｜ Assets ｜ Liabilities ｜
｜ ｜ ｜
｜_________｜____________｜
Study　the　diagrams　and　notice　if　you　can　pick　up　some　distinctions。 Again；　it　has　to　do　with　understanding　cash　flow；　which　tells　the　story。　Most　people　look　at　the　numbers　and　miss　the　story。　If　you　can　truly　begin　to　understand　the　power　of　cash　flow；　you　will　soon　realize　what　is　wrong　with　the　picture　on　the　next　page；　or　why　90　percent　of　most　people　work　hard　all　their　lives　and　need　government　support　like　Social　Security　when　they　are　no　longer　able　to　work。
Do　you　see　it？　The　diagram　above　reflects　the　actions　of　an　individual　who　chooses　to　pay　himself　first。　Each　month；　they　allocate　money　to　their　asset　column　before　they　pay　their　monthly　expenses。　Although　millions　of　people　have　read　Classen"s　book　and　understand　the　words　〃pay　yourself　first；〃　in　reality　they　pay　themselves　last。
Now　I　can　hear　the　howls　from　those　of　you　who　sincerely　believe　in　paying　your　bills　first。　And　I　can　hear　all　the　〃responsible〃　people　who　pay　their　bills　on　time。　I　am　not　saying　be　irresponsible　and　not　pay　your　bills。　All　I　am　saying　is　do　what　the　book　says；　which　is　〃pay　yourself　first。〃　And　the　diagram　above　is　the　correct　accounting　picture　of　that　action。　Not　the　one　that　follows。
My　wife　and　I　have　had　many　bookkeepers　and　accountants　and　bankers　who　have　had　a　major　problem　with　this　way　of　looking　at　〃pay　yourself　first。〃　The　reason　is　that　these　financial　professionals　actually　do　what　the　masses　do；　which　is　pay　themselves　last。　They　pay　everyone　else　first。
There　have　been　months　in　my　life；　when　for　whatever　reason；　cash　flow　was　far　less　than　my　bills。　I　still　paid　myself　first。