He sat there looking at the plan and then asked, "So what did you learn about yourself?" "I learned that it is not that easy to really define what it is I want from my life because today we have so many choices ... and so many of them look exciting." "Very good," he said. 'And that is why so many people today go from job to job or from business to business ... but never really get to where they want to go financially. So they often spend their most precious asset, their time, and wander through life without much of a plan. They might be happy doing what they are doing, but they really do not know what they are missing out on." 100 Rich Dad's Guide to Investing "Exactly," I agreed. "This time, instead of just being secure, I really had to think what I wanted to do with my life ... and surprisingly, I had to explore ideas that would never have oc- curred to me before." "Like what?" asked rich dad. "Well, if I really wanted to be comfortable with my life, then I had to think about what I wanted to have in my life. Things like travel to far away lands, fancy cars, expensive vaca- tions, nice clothes, big houses, etc. I really had to expand my thoughts into the future and find out what I wanted for my life." "And what did you find out?" asked rich dad. "I found out that security was so easy because I was plan- ning on being secure only. I did not know what true comfort meant. So security was easy, defining comfort was more diffi- cult, and I now cannot wait to define what rich means and how I plan to achieve great wealth." "That's good," said rich dad. "Very good." He then contin- ued on by saying, "So many people have been conditioned to 'live below their means' or 'save for a rainy day' that they never know what could be possible for their lives. So people splurge, get into debt by taking the annual vacation or buying a nice car, then feel guilty. They never take the time to figure out what could be financially possible if only they had a good financial plan ... and that is a waste." "That is exactly what happened," I said. "By meeting with advisors and discussing what was possible, I learned a lot. I learned that I was really selling myself short. In fact, I felt like I have been walking in a house with a low ceiling for years, try- ing to scrimp, save, be secure, and live below my means. Now that I have a plan of what is possible relative to being comfort- able, I am now excited about defining what the word 'rich' means." "Good," said rich dad with a smile. "The key to staying Decide Now What You Want to Be 101 young is to decide what you want to be when you grow up, and then keep growing up. Nothing is more tragic than to see people who have sold themselves short on what is possible for their lives. They try to live frugally, scrimping and saving, and they think that is being financially smart. In reality, it is fi- nancially limiting... and it shows up in their faces and in their attitude in life the older they get.