When I reflect upon this lesson, it occurs to me that what people are really saying is that "I'd rather feel secure and com- fortable than be rich." That is because if they felt insecure or uncomfortable, they were not happy. For me, I was willing to feel insecure and uncomfortable in order to be rich. I have been rich and poor as well as happy and unhappy. But I assure you that when I was poor and unhappy, I was much unhap- pier than when I was rich and unhappy. I have also never understood the statement "Money does not make you happy." While there is some truth in it, I have always noticed that when I have money, I feel pretty good. The other day, I found a $10 bill in my jeans pocket. Even though it was only $10, it felt great finding it. Receiving money has always felt better than receiving a bill for money I owe. At least that is my experience with money. I feel happy when it comes in and sad when it leaves me. Back in 1973,1 put my priorities in this order: 1. To be rich 2. To be comfortable 3. To be secure 48 Rich Dad's Guide to Investing As stated earlier, when it comes to money and investing, all three priorities are important. Which order you put them in is a very personal decision that should be made before begin- ning to invest. My poor dad put "to be secure" as priority one, and rich dad put "to be rich" as priority one. Before beginning to invest, it is important to decide what your priorities are. Mental Attitude Quiz To be rich, comfortable, and secure are really personal core values. One is not better than the other. I do know, however, that making the choice of which core values are most important to you often has a significant long-term impact upon the kind of life you choose. That is why it is important to know which core values are most important to you, especially when it comes to the subject of money and financial planning. So the mental attitude quiz is: List in order of importance which core values are most im- portant to you: L _ 2 _ 3._ Some of you may need to work through your true feelings. Talk seriously with your spouse or mentor. Make "pro" and "con" lists. Knowing what your personal priorities are will save you many agonizing decisions and sleepless nights later. One of the reasons the 90/10 rule of money applies may be because 90% of the people choose comfort and security over being rich. Chapter 4 Investor Lesson #2: What Kind of World Do You See? One of the most startling differences between my rich dad and poor dad was what kind of world they saw. My poor dad always saw a world of financial scarcity. That view was re- flected when he said, "Do you think money grows on trees?" or "Do you think I'm made of money?" or "I can't afford it." When I spent time with my rich dad, I began to realize that he saw a completely different world. He could see a world of too much money. That view was reflected when he said, "Don't worry about money.