富爸爸,穷爸爸(英文版)-第16章

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skills　they　want　to　acquire　before　choosing　a　specific　profession　and　before　getting　trapped　in　the　〃Rat　Race。〃
Once　people　are　trapped　in　the　lifelong　process　of　bill　paying；　they　1　bee　like　those　little　hamsters　running　around　in　those　little　metal　wheels。　Their　little　furry　legs　are　spinning　furiously；　the　wheel　is　turning　furiously；　but　e　tomorrow　morning；　they'll　still　be　in　the　same　cage：　great　job。
In　the　movie　Jerry　Maguire；　starring　Tom　Cruise；　there　are　many　great　one　liners。　Probably　the　most　memorable　is　〃Show　me　the　money。〃　But　there　is　one　line　I　thought　most　truthful。　It　es　from　the　scene　where　Tom　Cruise　is　leaving　the　firm。　He　has　just　been　fired；　and　he　is　asking　the　entire　pany　〃Who　wants　to　e　with　me？〃　And　the　whole　place　is　silent　and　frozen。　Only　one　woman　speaks　up　and　says；　〃I'd　like　to　but　I'm　due　for　a　promotion　in　three　months。〃
That　statement　is　probably　the　most　truthful　statement　in　the　whole　movie。　　It　is　the　type　of　statement　that　people　use　to　keep　themselves
　
busy　working　away　to　pay　bills。　I　know　my　educated　dad　looked　forward　to　his　pay　raise　every　year；　and　every　year　he　was　disappointed。　So　he　would　go　back　to　school　to　earn　more　qualifications　so　he　could　get　another　raise；　but　again；　it　would　be　another　disappointment。
The　question　I　often　ask　people　is；　〃Where　is　this　daily　activity　taking　you？〃　Just　like　the　little　hamster；　I　wonder　if　people　look　at　where　their　hard　work　is　taking　them。　What　does　the　future　hold？
Cyril　Brickfield；　the　former　executive　director　of　The　American　Association　of　Retired　People；　reports　that　〃private　pensions　are　in　a　state　of　chaos。　First　of　all；　50　percent　of　the　workforce　today　has　no　pension。　That　alone　should　be　of　great　concern。　And　75　to　80　percent　of　the　other　50　percent　have　ineffective　pensions　that　pay　55　or　150　or　300　a　month。〃
In　his　book　The　Retirement　Myth；　Craig　S。　Karpel　writes：　〃I　visited　the　headquarters　of　a　major　national　pension　consulting　firm　and　met　with　a　managing　director　who　specializes　in　designing　lush　retirement　plans　for　top　management。　When　I　asked　her　what　people　who　don't　have　corner　offices　will　be　able　to　expect　in　the　way　of　pension　ine；　she　said　with　a　confident　smile：　　〃The　Silver　Bullet。'
〃　'What；'　I　asked；　'is　The　Silver　Bullet？'
〃She　shrugged；　'If　baby　boomers　discover　they　don't　have　enough　money　to　live　on　when　they're　older；　they　can　always　blow　their　brains　out。'〃　Karpel　goes　on　to　explain　the　difference　between　the　old　Defined　Benefit　retirement　plans　and　the　new　401K　plans　which　are　riskier。　It　is　not　a　pretty　picture　for　most　people　working　today。　And　that　is　just　for　retirement。　When　medical　fees　and　long…term　nursing　home　care　are　added　to　the　picture；　the　picture　is　frightening。　In　his　1995　book；　he　indicates　that　nursing…home　fees　run　from　30；000　to　125；000　per　year。　He　went　to　a　clean　no…frills　nursing　home　in　his　area　and　found　the　price　to　be　88；000　a　year　in　1995。
Already；　many　hospitals　in　countries　with　socialized　medicine　need　to　make　tough　decisions　such　as　〃Who　will　live　and　who　will　die？〃　They　make　those　decisions　purely　on　how　much　money　they　have　and　how　old　the　patients　are。　If　the　patient　is　old；　they　often　will　give　the　medical　care　to　someone　younger。　The　older　poor　patient　gets　put　to　the　back　of　the　line。　　So　just　as　the　rich　can　afford　better　education；　the　rich　will　be　able　to　keep　themselves　alive；　while　those　who　have　little　wealth　will　die。
So　I　wonder；　are　workers　looking　into　the　future　or　just　until　their　next　paycheck；　never　questioning　where　they　are　headed？
When　I　speak　to　adults　who　want　to　earn　more　money；　I　always　remend　the　same　thing。　I　suggest　taking　a　long　view　of　their　life。　Instead　of　simply　working　for　the　money　and　security；　which　I　admit　are　important；　I　suggest　they　take　a　second　job　that　will　teach　them　a　second　skill。　　Often　I　remend　joining　a　work　marketing　pany；　also　called　multilevel　marketing；　if　they　want　to　learn　sales　skills。　Some　of　these　panies　have　excellent　training　programs　that　help　people　get　over　their　fear　of　failure　and　rejection；　which　are　the　main　reasons　people　/j　are　unsuccessful。　Education　is　more　valuable　than　money；　in　the　long　run。
When　I　offer　this　suggestion；　I　often　hear　in　response；　〃Oh　that　is　too　much　hassle；〃　or　〃I　only　want　to　do　what　I　am　interested　in。〃
To　the　statement　of　〃It's　too　much　of　a　hassle；〃　I　ask；　〃So　you　would　；　rather　work　all　your　life　giving　50　percent　of　what　you　earn　to　the　government'〃　To　the　other　statement…〃I　only　do　what　I　am　interested　in〃…I　say；　〃I'm　not　interested　in　going　to　the　gym；　but　I　go　because　I　want　to　feel　better　and　live　longer。〃
Unfortunately；　there　is　some　truth　to　the　old　statement　〃You　can't　teach　an　old　dog　new　tricks。〃　Unless　a　person　is　used　to　changing；　it's　hard　to　change。
But　for　those　of　you　who　might　be　on　the　fence　when　it　es　to　the　idea　of　working　to　learn　something　new；　I　offer　this　word　of　encouragement：　Life　is　much　like　going　to　the　gym。　The　most　painful　part　is　deciding　to　go。　　Once　you　get　past　that；　it's　easy。　There　have　been　many　days　I　have　dreaded　going　to　the　gym；　but　once　I　am　there　and　in　motion；　it　is　a　pleasure。　After　the　workout　is　over；　I　am　always　glad　I　talked　myself　into　going。
If　you　are　unwilling　to　work　to　learn　something　new　and　insist　on；　instead；　being　highly　specialized　within　your　field；　make　sure　the　pany　you　work　for　is　unionized。　Labor　unions　are　designed　to　protect　specialists。
My　educated　dad；　after　falling　from　grace　with　the　governor；　became　the　head　of　the　teachers　union　in　Hawaii。　He　told　me　that　it　was　the　hardest　job　he　ever　held。　My　rich　dad；　on　the　other　hand；　spent　his　life　doing　his　best　to　keep　his　panies　from　being　unionized。　He　was　successful。　Although　the　unions　came　close；　rich　dad　was　always　able　to　fight　them　off。
　Personally；　I　take　no　sides　because　I　can　see　the　need　for　and　the　benefits　of　both　sides。　If　you　do　as　school　remends；　bee　highly　specialized；　then　seek　union　protection。　For　example；　had　I　continued　on　with　my　flying　career；　I　would　have　sought　a　pany　that　had　a　strong　pilots　union。　Why？　Because　my　life　would　be　dedicated　to　learn　a　skill　that　was　valuable　in　only　one　industry。　If　I　were　pushed　out　of　that　industry；　my　life's　skills　would　not　be　as　valuable　to　another　industry。　A　displaced　senior　pilot…with　100；000　hours　of　heavy　airline　transport　time；　earning　150；000　a　year…would　have　a　hard　time　finding　an　equivalent　high…paying　job　in　school　teaching。　The　skills　do　not　necessarily　transfer　from　industry　to　industry；　because　the　skills　the　pilots　are　paid　for　in　the　airline　industry　are　not　as　important　in；　say；　the　school　system。
The　same　is　true　even　for　doctors　today。　With　all　the　changes　in　medicine；　many　medical　specialists　are　needing　to　conform　to　medical　organizations　such　as　HMO's。　Schoolteachers　definitely　need　to　be　union　members。　Today　in　America；　the　teachers　union　is　the　largest　and　the　richest　labor　union　of　all。　The　NEA；　National　Education　Association；　has　tremendous　political　clout。　Teachers　need　the　protection　of　their　union　because　their　skills　are　also　of　limited　value　to　an　industry　outside　of　education。　So　the　rule　of　thumb　is；　〃Highly　specialized；　then　unionize。〃　It's　the　smart　thing　to　do。
When　I　ask　the　classes　I　teach；　〃How　many　of　you　can　cook　a　better　hamburger　than　McDonald's？〃　almost　all　the　students　raise　their　hands。　I　then　ask；　〃So　if　most　of　you　can　cook　a　better　hamburger；　how　e　McDonald's　makes　more　money　than　you？〃
The　answer　is　obvious：　McDonald's　is　excellent　at　business　systems。　The　reason　so　many　talented　people　are　poor　is　because　they　focus　on　building　a　better　hamburger　and　know　little　to　nothing　about　business　systems。
A　friend　of　mine　in　Hawaii　is　a　great　artist。　He　makes　a　sizable　amount　of　money。　One　day　his　mother's　attorney　called　to　tell　him　that　she　had　left　him　35；000。　That　is　what　was　left　of　her　estate　after　the　attorney　and　the　government　took　their　shares。　　Immediately；　he　saw　an　opportunity　to　increase　his　business　by　using　some　of　this　money　to　advertise。　Two　months　later；　his　first　four…color；　full…page　ad　appeared　in　an　expensive　magazine　that　targeted　the　very　rich。　The　ad　ran　for　three　months。　　He　received　no　replies　from　the　ad；　and　all　of　his　inheritance　is　now　gone。　He　now　wants　to　sue　the　magazine　for　misrepresentation。
This　is　a　mon　case　of　someone　who　can　build　a　beautiful　hamburger；　but　knows　little　about　business。　When　I　asked　him　what　he　learned；　his　only　reply　was　that　〃advertising　salespeople　are　crooks。〃　I　then　asked　him　if　he　would　be　willing　to　take　a　course　in　sales　and　a　course　in　direct　marketing。　His　reply；　〃I　don't　have　the　time；　and　I　don't　want　to　waste　my　money。〃
The　world　is　filled　with　talented　poor　people。　All　too　often；　they're　？poor　or　struggle　financially　or　earn　less　than　they　are　capable　of；　not　　　　　　f　because　of　what　they　know　but　because　of　what　they　do　not　know。　They　focus　on　perfecting　their　skills　at　building　a　better　hamburger　rather　than　the　skills　of　selling　and　delivering　the　hamburger。　Maybe　McDonald's　does　not　make　the　best　hamburger；　but　they　are　the　best　at　　f　selling　and　delivering　a　basic　average　burger。
Poor　dad　wanted　me　to　specialize。　That　was　his　view　on　how　to　be　paid　more。　Even　after　being　told　by　the　governor　of　Hawaii　that　he　could　no　longer　work　in　state　government；　my　educated　dad　continued　to　encourage　me　to　get　specialized。　Educated　dad　then　took　up　the　cause　of　the　teachers　union；　campaigning　for　further　protection　and　benefits　for　I　these　highly　skilled　and　educated　professionals。　We　argued　often；　but　I　know　he　never　agreed　that　overspecialization　is　what　caused　the　need　for　union　protection。　He　never　understood　that　the　more　specialized　you　bee；　the　more　you　are　trapped　and　dependent　on　that　specialty。　
Rich　dad　advised　that　Mike　and　I　〃groom〃　ourselves。　Many　corporations　do　the　same　thing。　They　find　a　young　bright　student　out　of　business　school　and　begin　〃grooming〃　that　person　to　someday　take　over　the　pany。　　So　these　bright　young　employees　do　not　specialize　in　one　department；　they　are　moved　from　department　to　department　to　learn　all　the　aspects　of　business　systems。　The　rich　often　〃groom〃　their　children　or　the　children　of　others。　　By　doing　so；　their　children　gain　an　overall　knowledge　of　the　operations　of　the　business　and　how　the　various　departments　interrelate。
For　the　World　War　II　generation；　it　was　considered　〃bad〃　to　skip　from　pany　to　pany。　Today；　it　is　considered　smart。　　Since　people　will　skip　from　pany　to　pany；　rather　than　seek　greater　specialization；　why　not　seek　to　〃learn〃　more　than　〃earn。〃　In　the　short　term；　it　may　earn　you　less。　　In　the　long　term；　it　will　pay　off　in　large　dividends。
The　main　management　skills　needed　for　success　are：
　
1。　The　management　of　cash　flow
2。　The　management　of　systems　（including　yourself　and　time　with　family）。
3。　The　management　of　people。

The　most　important　specialized　skills　are　sales　and　understanding　marketing。　It　is　the　ability　to　sell……therefore；　to　municate　to　another　human　being；　be　it　a　customer；　employee；　boss；　spouse　or　child…that　is　the　base　skill　of　personal　success。　It　is　munication　skills　such　as　writing；　speaking　and　negotiating　that　are　crucial　to　a　life　of　success。　It　is　a　skill　that　I　work　on　constantly；　attending　courses　or　buying　educational　tapes　to　expand　my　knowledge。
As　I　have　mentioned；　my　educated　dad　worked　harder　and　harder　the　more　petent　he　became。　He　also　became　more　trapped　the　more　specialized　he　got。　Although　his　salary　went　up；　his　choices　diminished。　Soon　after　he　was　locked　out　of　government　work；　he　found　out　how　vulnerable　he　really　was　professionally。　It　is　like　professional　athletes　who　suddenly　are　injured　or　are　too　old　to　play。　Their　once　high…paying　position　is　gone；　and　they　have　limited　skills　to　fall　back　on。　I　think　that　is　why　my　educated　dad　sided　so　much　with　unions　after　that。　He　realized　how　much　a　union　would　have　benefited　him。
Rich　dad　encouraged　Mike　and　me　to　know　a　little　about　a　lot。　He　encouraged　us　to　work　with　people　smarter　than　we　were　and　to　bring　smart　people　together　to　work　as　a　team。　Today　it　would　be　called　a　synergy　of　professional　specialities。
Today；　I　meet　ex…schoolteachers　earning　hundreds　of　thousands　of　dollars　a　year。　They　earn　that　much　because　they　have　specialized　skills　in　their　field　as　well　as　other　skills。　They　can　teach　as　well　as　sell　and　market。　I　know　of　no　other　skills　to　be　more　important　than　selling　as　well　as　marketing。　The　skills　of　selling　and　marketing　are　difficult　for　most　people　primarily　due　to　their　fear　of　rejection。　The　better　you　are　at　municating；　negotiating　and　handling　your　fear　of　rejection；　the　easier　life　is。　Just　as　I　advised　that　newspaper　writer　who　wanted　to　bee　a　〃best…selling　author；〃　I　advise　anyone　else　today。　　Being　technically　specialized　has　its　strengths　as　well　as　its　weaknesses。　　I　have　friends　who　are　geniuses；　but　they　cannot　municate　effectively　with　other　human　beings　and；　as　a　result；　their　earnings　are　pitiful。　　I　advise　them　to　just　spend　a　year　learning　to　sell。　Even　if　they　earn　nothing；　their　munication　skills　will　improve。　And　that　is　priceless。
In　addition　to　being　good　learners；　sellers　and　marketers；　we　need　to　be　good　teachers　as　well　as　good　students。　To　be　truly　rich；　we　need　to　be　able　to　give