You said you wanted to learn. If you don't learn this now, you'll grow up to be like the two women and the older man sitting in my living room, working for money and hoping I don't fire them. Or like your dad, earning lots of money only to be in debt up to his eyeballs, hoping more money will solve the problem. If that's what you want, I'll go back to our original deal of 10 cents an hour. Or you can do what most people grow up to do. Complain that there is not enough pay, quit and go looking for another job. But what do I do? I asked. Rich dad tapped me on the head. Use this, he said. If you use it well, you will soon thank me for giving you an opportunity, and you will grow into a rich man. I stood there still not believing what a raw deal I had been handed. Here I came to ask for a raise, and now I was being told to keep working for nothing. Rich dad tapped me on the head again and said, Use this. Now get out of here and get back to work. LESSON #l: The Rich Don't Work For Money I didn't tell my poor dad I wasn't being paid. He would not have understood, and I did not want to try to explain something that I did not yet understand myself. For three more weeks, Mike and I worked for three hours, every Saturday, for nothing. The work didn't bother me, and the routine got easier. It was the missed baseball games and not being able to afford to buy a few comic books that got to me. Rich dad stopped by at noon on the third week. We heard his truck pull up in the parking lot and sputter when the engine was turned off. He entered the store and greeted Mrs. Martin with a hug. After finding out how things were going in the store, he reached into the ice-cream freezer, pulled out two bars, paid for them, and signalled to Mike and me. Let's go for a walk boys. We crossed the street, dodging a few cars, and walked across a large grassy field, where a few adults were playing softball. Sitting down at a remote picnic table, he handed Mike and me the ice-cream bars. How's it going boys? OK, Mike said. I nodded in agreement. Learn anything yet? rich dad asked. Mike and I looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and shook our heads in unison. Avoiding One of Life's Biggest Traps Well, you boys had better start thinking. You're staring at one of life's biggest lessons. If you learn the lesson, you'll enjoy a life of great freedom and security. If you don't learn the lesson, you'll wind up like Mrs. Martin and most of the people playing softball in this park. They work very hard, for little money, clinging to the illusion of job security, looking forward to a three- week vacation each year and a skimpy pension after forty-five years of work. If that excites you, I'll give you a raise to 25 cents an hour. But these are good hard-working people. Are you making fun of them? I demanded. A smile came over rich dad's face. Mrs. Martin is like a mother to me. I would never be that cruel. I may sound cruel because I'm doing my best to point something out to the two of you. I want to expand your point of view so you can see something. Something most people never have the benefit of seeing because their vision is too narrow. Most people never see the trap they are in. Mike and I sat there uncertain of his message. He sounded cruel, yet we could sense he was desperately wanting us to know something. With a smile, rich dad said, Doesn't that 25 cents an hour sound good? Doesn't it make your heart beat a little faster. I shook my head no, but it really did. Twenty five cents an hour would be big bucks to me. OK, I'll pay you a dollar an hour, rich dad said, with a sly grin. Now my heart was beginning to race. My brain was screaming, An Take it. Take it. I could not believe what I was hearing. Still, I said nothing. OK, $2 an hour. My little 9-year-old brain and heart nearly exploded. After all, it was 1956 and being paid $2 an hour would have made me the richest kid in the world. I couldn't imagine earning that kind of money. I wanted to say yes. I wanted the deal. I could see a new bicycle, new baseball glove, and adoration of my friends when I flashed some cash. On top of that, Jimmy and his rich friends could never call me poor again. But somehow my mouth stayed silent. Maybe my brain had overheated and blown a fuse. But deep down, I badly wanted that $2 an hour. The ice cream had melted and was running down my hand. The ice-cream stick was empty, and under it was a sticky mess of vanilla and chocolate that ants were enjoying. Rich dad was looking at two boys staring back at him, eyes wide open and brains empty. He knew he was testing us, and he knew there was a part of our emotions that wanted to take the deal. He knew that each human being has a weak and needy part of their soul that can be bought. And he knew that each human being also had a part of their soul that was strong and filled with a resolve that could never be bought. It was only a question of which one was stronger. He had tested thousands of souls in his life. He tested souls every time he interviewed someone for a job. OK, $5 an hour. Suddenly there was a silence from inside me. Something had changed. The offer was too big and had gotten ridiculous. Not too many grownups in 1956 made more than $5 an hour. The temptation disappeared, and a calm set in. Slowly I turned to my left to look at Mike. He looked back at me. The part of my soul that was weak and needy was silenced. The part of me that had no price took over. There was a calm and a certainty about money that entered my brain and my soul. I knew Mike had gotten to that point also. Good, rich dad said softly. Most people have a price. And they have a price because of human emotions named fear and greed. First, the fear of being without money motivates us to work hard, and then once we get that paycheck, greed or desire starts us thinking about all the wonderful things money can buy. The pattern is then set. What pattern? I asked. The pattern of get up, go to work, pay bills, get up, go to work, pay bills... Their lives are then run forever by two emotions, fear and greed. Offer them more money, and they continue the cycle by also increasing their spending. This is what I call the Rat Race. There is another way? Mike asked. Yes, said rich dad slowly. But only a few people find it. And what is that way? Mike asked. That's what I hope you boys will find out as you work and study with me. That is why I took away all forms of pay. Any hints? Mike asked. We're kind of tired of working hard, especially for nothing. Well, the first step is telling the truth, said rich dad. We haven't been lying. I said. I did not say you were lying. I said to tell the truth, rich dad came back.