The 4th of July - Indpendence Day. This day commemorates the day that the United States gained it's freedom from Great Britain some 232 years ago on July 4th, 1776. After a day of wonderful food and fellowship, my friends - which are also my business parters - and I decided that it would be a great time to play Robert Kiyosaki's "Cashflow Quadrant 101" as a commemoration not only of our independence as a nation, but also in commemoration of the true liberties that we have as Americans.
If you have never played "Cashflow Quadrant" and you are serious about achieving financial freedom and wealth, I strongly suggest that you play. This is a game that tests your financial IQ in ways that no other games have (Robert Kiyosaki also has a more advanced game called "Cashflow 202".)
In the game, ever player gets to pick a rat and a piece of cheese. The rat represents you as an employee that is trapped in the "Rat Race" and your piece of cheese represents your dream. Each player gets to pick his color rat and cheese and what dream they hope to achieve once they've exited the rat race.
There are many lessons to be learned while playing this game such as the importance of building assets as opposed to just increasing your cashflow. Additionally, this is a contest that forces you to focus on the big picture, which is financial freedom first, wealth second. Regardless of how "good" your income is, if you are still dependent on your paycheck to make a living, you are caught in the rat race. In order to achieve financial freedom, each player must build their passive income to the point that it surpasses his or her expenses. Once your passive income surpasses your expenses, you escape the rat race and are able to start building wealth towards your "cheese", or your dream.
What is interesting at this point is that you literally move in a different direction from those who are still trapped in the "Rat Race". My mentor, who was also playing with us, always teaches that if you want to be successful, look at what everyone else is doing and do the opposite. This game teaches just that! Those who are still trapped literally move in a circle, existing from paycheck to paycheck. It is not until you understand the importance of increasing your assets and decreasing your liabilities that you are able to escape corporate America, live financially free and remove yourself from the humdrum life of merely existing and depending on next week's pay.
The United States of America is known as "The Land of Opportunity". Yet, as Americans, the majority of us refuse to take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to us on a daily basis. I felt an extreme amount of relief when I was the first one to escape the rat race and earn my piece of cheese. It felt, symbolically, like the greatest sigh of relief that I've ever had. Fortunately for me, I did not pass on the opportunity to escape the corporate rat race in my real life. I was presented with an opportunity, through the network marketing industry, to achieve freedom in my life and I took it.
America is becoming more and more separated between the classes. The middle class is rapidly disappearing. Soon, it will be the rich and the poor - the have's and the have nots. If you want to be free, learn the rules of the rich. Remember P.O.O.R people pass over opportunities repeatedly. If you want to be successful, mimic the game "Cashflow Quadrant". Look at what most people are doing and move in an opposite direction!
By the way, I beat my mentor, Reco McDaniel, in the game! What a feeling ;-)
Friday, July 4, 2008
Independence Day - Freedom from the Rat Race
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