Wealth and Success Aside from the Corporate Ladder

Many people fall into depression because no matter how hard they work and no matter how much time they spend in the office, they are still far from being successful. While many see their jobs as a means of finding personal expression and fulfillment, majority of people define their success in terms of money. They try to put up with the endless loads of work, impossible deadlines, and work pressures --- yet doing all these have not brought them closer to financial security. To make matters worse, many successful executives and highly driven young professionals find themselves sick and tired all the time. The enormous toll on the their health had made their job seem like a curse instead of blessing. It is no wonder that millions of dollars are spent on health care each year due to stress and other work-related anxieties. The uncontrolled drive for success had brought not a few people to the emergency room or to the hospital to get both medical and psychiatric care.
In America, millions of people work at least 40 to 60 hours a week. They do so because their success beliefs are anchored on the following premises:
Get good grades in school in order to get a good job.
Find a job in a large company or corporation.
Work hard in the office in order to get recognition and a promotion, which entails getting a high salary.
Get the children through school and have enough retirement and pension money.
This formula for success has been tried by millions yet not everyone gets to achieve their goals, at least in financial terms. In fact, some success finance and success gurus question the wisdom of the said formula. They think that there are other ways to attain success without the stress and anxiety of climbing the corporate ladder.
One such guru who questions the effectiveness of the traditional approach is named Robert Kiyosaki. He is an investor, businessman, author, and motivational speaker. He is best known for his book entitled Rich Dad, Poor Dad. In his book, he tackles the two different set of advices he received from his "rich dad" and "poor dad." According to Kiyosaki, his "poor dad" was a smart and highly educated individual, who, nevertheless, failed to succeed financially. He said that his "rich dad" was not academically inclined but was very street-smart and financially adept. In his book, he also discusses the depression, stress, and anxiety that are encountered by many people who thought that their education and jobs would automatically guarantee financial success.
Kiyosaki said that one of the most important questions that his "rich dad" asked him is: "Why do you work so hard for something you'll never own or can never pass on to your children?" That question, said Kiyosaki, somehow leads one to think that having a stable job may not be the key to financial success after all.
Kiyosaki also writes about a concept which he calls the 'Cashflow Quadrant." The Cashflow Quadrant, according to Kiyosaki, spells out how money or wealth is generated by different types of people. To better understand the concept, picture a simple cross on a blank sheet of paper. On the top left quadrant, write a letter 'E" which stands for Employee. On the lower left quadrant, write a letter "S" which stands for the Small Business Owner or Self-Employed. On the upper right quadrant, write the letter "B" to mean Big Business. And on the lower right quadrant, right the letter "I" which stands for Investor. Kiyosaki says that many "E" people are resource-oriented in terms of their approach to work and their lives as well. To succeed, these people rely on their current resources: their academic degrees, cash on hand, the secure job, physical health, etc. According to Kiyosaki, employees usually have this mindset. The "S" people, on the other hand, are able to generate their own income by having their own business. But according to Kiyosaki, the "E" and "S" people rarely succeed enough to have real wealth that would allow them to retire comfortably. These people are able to retire with some money but only after decades of hard work. Kiyosaki argues that being in these quadrants is not the best option since an employee can lose a job and his health which would then prevent him from doing his job. Small businessmen can encounter severe changes in the market that affects profit; or one's own company can fall into bankruptcy.
In contrast, the people who belong to Big Business ("B") and the Investors ("I") are the ones who can really gain wealth. Where lies the difference? Big Business and investors achieve financial success because they are able to harness the expertise of other people. Unlike the self-employed or small business owners, the members of the "B" and "I" quadrants do not do all the work by themselves. They let the experts do the work based on their desired objectives or financial goals. Unlike people from the "E" and "S" quadrants who "work hard for the money," the "B" and "I" people let their money work for them. In his books, Kiyosaki cites some financial instruments, strategies, and anecdotes on how people can make their money work for them. He discusses this concept using the term "active income vs. passive income." The main point of his financial advice is that people should learn how to invest their money on assets such as real estate property that can be rented out so that they would have regular income even without working. He also mentions that since the value of the property depreciates, the amount of tax to be paid also decreases and does not pose any financial difficulty on the part of the investor in the long-term. Kiyosaki says that financial literacy and having the right mindset are important in order for people to know how they can choose the best path towards financial freedom. While Kiyosaki's books do not exactly show the step-by-step approach to financial success, he does provide very good motivational thoughts on how to avoid financial self-destruction. He focuses on improving one's mindset which includes moving from being resource-oriented to being opportunity-oriented. In a typical financial counseling session, Robert Kiyosaki would usually say that:
"The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire...the size of your dream...and how you handle disappointment along the way."
Indeed, the ability to handle disappointments is essential to one's emotional stability and physical health. Having the right mindset when it comes to finances and to life itself is the key to real success. After all, financial success without health is simply a bad deal.

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Climb the Ladder of Success

Climbing the ladder of success is a common metaphor. Not many realize how true and powerful that metaphor is. For anything in life you start out at the bottom rung and climb your way up. If you're really talented you can jump and reach the second, third, and maybe even fourth rung before you begin your climb. Still, to get to the top, you have to climb up rung by rung just like everyone else.

It is the same with any achievement. You have to start at the beginning, gain knowledge, experience, and wisdom, moving up the rungs of success until you achieve your ultimate goal. It is only the speed of the climb that's different for everyone, not the climb.

Many, however, are impatient. They look for the 'secret,' that hidden trick which vaults them to the top of their chosen path without having to climb the ladder rung by rung.

Jesse wanted to get rich by developing a shopping center / office complex. He wasn't willing to climb the latter rung by rung. Instead, he tried to vault to the top and tied up a large parcel of land. He hired engineers, real estate agents and assistants but had virtually no experience, knowledge, or ability to develop that kind of project. He ended up in court and lost it all (including his marriage). He was 'knocked' back down the ladder and has to start all over again. You can't avoid having to climb, no matter what you do.

In contrast, a very successful acquaintance tells all the young people who come to meet with him to discover his 'secret,' that the 'secret' is "showing up for work every day."

Another point: If you don't like the rungs you're climbing, you're probably on the wrong ladder.

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Success Tip - Gratitude Will Take You Very Far

On your road to greatness and influence, always take time to show GRATITUDE to all the "LADDERS" you used on your way up. RELATIONSHIPS you work on will take you beyond where money, intellect and personal effort has taken you. Work on your network today and get set for more doors that will open (See Networking in this manual).

Relationships are meant to be bi-directional, sowing and reaping on both sides. As long as you think you can use relationships to go up the ladder and then forget them when you have "arrived" then you run the risk of waking up with no shield around you. The day you want to use those same relationships, your track record will let you down. Never forget those who helped you up the ladder. You will always need them. A thank you card, a letter worth framing, an email to say thank you, a post card with a nice picture on it, a surprise birthday present for your relationships and connections always pays. Don't despise the effects of a thank you note. Gratitude always keeps relationships intact

One of the passions I carry is that of creating cards. I remember in the year 2008, I created personalized Christmas cards on nice glossy paper for one of my businesses to give out to customers. The result of that heart of gratitude was that those very businesses started calling me to place orders for their cards. Just in an instant I had all this income which I had never planned to have and to date this remains an initiative which I am pursuing with passion. Just a gesture of gratitude opened doors that I had never dreamt of.

When you have a heart of gratitude you will realize that your relationships will last longer, you will gather many around you who value relationships and networking. Sometimes we are grateful to other people and forget to be grateful to our very own parents who raised us up. Yes, granted, it is every parent's responsibility to raise their child to experience maximum exposure to greatness activation moments. Consider this; they have a choice to do that or just leave you to grope through life with no meaningful direction; finding about life on your own. Some parents set opportunities for their children until they can fly on their own. My encouragement is that you show your gratitude whilst they still walk this earth, when they can see and read the card, smell the flowers and wear the nice clothes. You can never repay your own parents for all the investment made into your life but occasional moments of showing gratitude will take you very far.

Ponder Points - Think about this - Who has helped you in your quest to rise in life, business and ministry? How much gratitude have you shown them? What are the strategic relationships you are maintaining?

Affirmation Points - Say this to yourself - I am surrounded with great friends and connections who have lifted me up in business, ministry and personally. I am forever thankful for them. I keep all relationships that have assisted me on my way up. I maintain them even if it costs me. I am thankful for the plans and purposes in my life and relations that have been given to me.

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