"It hurts me too and that is why I wanted you to see this before you got much older." Rich dad took his legal pad and drew the CASHFLOW Quadrant. "You are just starting high school. You are soon going to be making some very important decisions about what you will be when you grow up, if you haven't already made them. I know your dad is encouraging you to go to college so you can get a high-paying job. If you listen to his advice, you will be going in this direction." Rich dad then drew an arrow to the E and S side of the Quadrant. SCHOOL Poor dad "If you listen to me, you will be studying to become a per- son on this side of the Quadrant." He then drew an arrow to the B and I side of the Quadrant. 122 Rich Dad's Guide to Investing On Which Side of the Table Do You Want to Sit? 123 "You've shown me this and told me this many times," I replied quietly. "Why do you continue to go over it?" "Because if you listen to your dad, you will soon find your- self sitting in that solitary wooden chair on the other side of the table. If you listen to me, you will be sitting in the wooden chair on my side of the table. That-is the decision you are making, consciously or unconsciously, as you enter high school. I've had you sit on my side of the table because I wanted you to know that there is a difference in points of view. I'm not saying one side of the table is better than the other side. Each side has its pluses and minuses. I just want you to start choosing now which side you want to sit on be- cause what you study from this day forward will determine which side of the table you wind up on. Will you wind up on the E and S side or the B and I side of the table?" A Gentle Reminder 10 Years Later In 1973, rich dad reminded me of that discussion we had when I was 15 years old. "Do you remember me asking you which side of the table you want to sit on?" he asked. I nodded and said, "Who could have predicted back then that my dad, the proponent for job security and lifelong em- ployment, would be sitting on the other side of the table again, at the age of 50? He had everything going for him at 40, and it was all over just 10 years later." "Well, your dad is a very courageous man. Unfortunately, he did not plan for this happening to him and now he's get- ting into professional as well as financial trouble. It could get worse if he does not make some rapid changes. If he keeps going with his old beliefs about jobs and job security, I am afraid he will waste the last years of his life. I cannot help him right now but I can help guide you," said rich dad. "So you're saying choose which side of the table to sit on?" I replied. "You mean choose a job as a pilot with the airlines or make my own path?" "Not necessarily," said rich dad. "All I want to do in this les- son is point something out to you." "And what is that?" I asked. Rich dad again drew the CASHFLOW Quadrant: He then said, "Too many young people focus on only one side of the Quadrant.