Recently I’m reading a lot about finances and this week I read the book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” and there is one interesting story in there that I want to share with you, and which got me thinking.

A rich women got robbed and the robbers took the TV and other electronic devices. But the woman also had a wall full of books, but the robbers didn’t steal any of that.

That is me retelling the story, so it’s not the exact same words but the meaning behind it is the same.

After the first sentence I thought “ok well, that’s what robbers usually steal to get the money from selling it” but if you think about it and that’s what Robert also writes in the book is that if they would have stolen the books, read them then they would have maybe even gotten richer.

That’s what is connecting with the story about Roberts rich dad: people ask him to give him money or to give them a job, and he does, but if they would ask questions about how he got rich, then they would have gotten way more out of it and also gotten rich.

But the message I like more behind that is that books and knowledge are more important than things.

Let’s think about it for a minute.

What do robbers think in that moment? They want to get the expensive stuff which they can sell fast and get money fast. For What? Then they have a few thousand euros, and they can use that for paying rent, getting food…

But what if they would have thought more long-term? If they learn, study, and educate themselves with books, lectures, etc. than they would get money for the rest of their lives and way more. They even could get rich.

I never really thought about it this way until this book, but it was kinda already obvious to me, because I like to educate myself and read books. I can never get enough of non-fiction and documentations. But I never thought about it that radical and that instead of buying things, I could buy books and seminars.

We usually think short-term. I need that dress for this party, or just because it looks pretty. I want to buy that chocolate brownie now because I’m hungry and I need chocolate. But if you think long-term that the brownie is not good for your health, or that the money for the dress you could actually invest in yourself or into shares. You will get way more out of that at the end. But that’s not how our brain works. We want satisfaction now and we want to see results immediately that’s why sticking to something longer is really hard.

I’m not starting with the topic of habits now, because that is something for other articles.

The Main Point of the rich woman

Let’s get to the main point of this story again. Or what I think the story is saying.

The rich woman doesn’t care about the missing electronic devices now, because she can buy more, but her knowledge is the important stuff for her. She got rich and on the way there she learned a lot. How? By investing in herself and in her education (not the standard school education but way beyond) and also asking questions.

The asking questions thing is one of the things I don’t do and need to do more often. The truth: I’m an introvert and I don’t like to bother people, and I’m always afraid of annoying people. That’s why I usually don’t have questions at all for anything, and that’s one of the most important things I must work on these recent days.

By asking questions you learn so much, and usually people like to answer them and like to teach someone something. People are not annoyed by that.

I’m also not annoyed by people asking questions, because it makes one feel educated and knowing.

I hope you got the message I got from this story.

I also told this story my boyfriend and he didn’t get it at first. Like everyone he was like “well books have no value, it would be stupid to steal those”. Of course, in this moment it sounds stupid. But thinking about it from a different view makes the story different and interesting.

Different view

A truly intelligent person welcomes new ideas, for new ideas can add to the synergy of other accumulated ideas. – Robert Kiyosaki

Every story has different view, and everyone interprets a story different. That’s normal. That’s why we have a lot of communication problems in this world. Everyone of us grew up differently. In a different place. In a different family with a different constellation of family members and ages. In a different school. And in a different generation.

So how do we expect all of us to interpret the same words in the same way?

There is a different view of everything. And that’s what makes reading, talking and asking questions so interesting. You will hear and read so many different stories and views and what they interpreted in those.

Like in the book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”: both dads grew up in Hawaii, one is highly educated and has a small income as a teacher for the state and thinks money is evil, and he never has enough. The other one skipped school and educated himself, is also highly educated but is rich and has his own company and thinks that money is great. He doesn’t work for money – the money works for him.

The different view (I would even say mindset) changes a lot. And this not about money, but about everything. You can view something in a positive or negative way. You can take a look at the fancy electronic devices, or you can take a look at the books and the knowledge you get from it.

Invest first in education. In reality, the only real asset you have is your mind. The most power tool we have dominion over. – Robert Kiyosaki

Think about it and today look at your surrounding and be open to a different view.

Ask questions and talk to people!

Invest in yourself instead of things!

If you want to read as inspiring books as ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ then check out my book list.

Thanks for reading! Sign up for my newsletter and I’m also publishing this posts on Medium. Check it out here!