Without mistakes and learning, there is no magic in life." The Magic of Mistakes 201 ADDITIONAL NOTE: This subject of the magic of mistakes is one of rich dad's most important lessons, especially in this brave new world we enter. It is the people who fear mistakes who will be left behind financially and professionally as the Information Age continues to pick up speed. -/ recently created an educational program on audiotape with Nightingale Conant titled "Rich Dad Secrets to Money, Business, and Investing, "which covers this very im- portant lesson from rich dad. In my opinion, this educa- tional product is for anyone wanting to learn how to overcome the fear of failing the fiar of making mistakes, or the fear of taking risks. If you are interested in this product, you may order it from us or directly from Nightingale Conant. As Winston Churchill said "Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." Chapter 18 Investor Lesson #16: What Is the Price of Becoming Rich? Rich dad would tell me that there are many ways a person can become rich, and each one has a price. 1. You can become rich by marrying some- one for his or her money. And we all know what that price is. Rich dad would scrunch up his face and say, "Both men and women marry for money, but can you imagine spending your life with someone you don't love? That is a very high price." 2. You can become rich by being a crook, a cheat, or an outlaw. He would say, "It is so easy to become rich legally. Why would people want to break the law and risk going to jail unless they really enjoyed the thrill of it all? To risk going to jail is much too high a price for me". I want to be rich for my free- dom, so why risk going to jail? I would lose my self- respect. I could not face my family and friends if I were doing something illegal. Besides, I am a bad liar. I have a poor memory, and I could not keep track of all my What Is the Price of Becoming Rich? 203 lies, so it is best to just tell the truth. In my opinion, honesty is the best policy." 3. You can become rich through inheri- tance. Rich dad would say, "Mike often feels like he did not earn his keep. He wonders if he could have be- come rich on his own. I have therefore given him very little. I have guided him as I guide you, but it is up to him to create his own wealth. It is important for him to feel he has earned it. Not everyone fortunate enough to inherit money feels that way." As Mike and I had grown up together, both our fami- lies were relatively poor. By the time we were adults, however, Mike's dad had become very rich, while my real dad was still poor. Mike stood to inherit a fortune from his dad, the man I call my rich dad. I was starting with nothing. 4. You can become rich by winning the lot- tery. All rich dad could say to that was, "It's OK to buy a ticket now and then, but to bet your financial life on winning the lottery is a fool's plan on becoming rich.