Page 212 - Rich Dad's Increase Your Financial IQ: Get Smarter with Your Money

but has courage. In my opinion, it is this relationship between ignorance
and courage that is the essence of life itself.

In 1974, I didn’t have a job, money, or much business experience. I
couldn’t live below my means because I didn’t have any means to live
below. I couldn’t diversify because I had nothing to diversify. All I had was
courage. In the real world, courage is more important than good grades. It

takes courage to discover, develop, and donate your genius to the world.
Always remember that your mind is infinite and your doubts are limiting.
Ayn Rand, the author of Atlas Shrugged, said, “Wealth is the product of
man’s capacity to think.” So if you are ready to change your life, find the

environment that will allow all three of your brains to think and grow
richer. And who knows, you might find your genius.

Your Feedback Loop: No Man Is an Island

We live in a world of feedback. When we climb on a bathroom scale, our

weight is giving us feedback. If the scale says we are ten pounds heavier,
we may not like the feedback, especially if we are already twenty pounds
overweight. When your doctor takes your blood pressure and sends your
blood sample to a lab, your doctor is looking for feedback.

Feedback is important. It can be a very important source of information
about us and our environment. The problem is, if we do not like the
feedback, our subconscious minds may block out, distort, diminish, or deny
the importance of the information coming from feedback.

One of the most enlightening lessons I learned from the Marine Corps
was the importance of feedback. When I was messing up the feedback was
pretty intense and definitely not sugar-coated. When I worked with my rich
dad, there was the same intensity of feedback. In doing our book together, I

received very fast and blunt feedback from Donald Trump. If not for my
military training, or working with my rich dad, I know I never could have
worked with Donald. His feedback was quick, to the point, and direct. I
know that if I had argued back, disagreed, or not listened to Donald’s

feedback, I would not be working with him—nor would I have learned as
much.