Page 53 - Rich Dad's Increase Your Financial IQ: Get Smarter with Your Money

people are natural salespeople. I wasn’t. My first problem was my inability
to overcome my fear of selling and the terror of being rejected. Some

people are natural-born entrepreneurs. I wasn’t. I had to learn to be an
entrepreneur.
I make this point because I’m not saying you need to learn to sell, or that
you need to learn to be an entrepreneur. That was my process. It may not be

yours. The first step to increasing your financial IQ #1: making more
money, is to decide what the best way for you to make more money is. If
it’s to become a medical doctor, get ready for medical school. If it’s to
become a pro golfer, start putting. In other words, choose your goal, and

then choose your process. Always remember that the process is more
important than the goal.

Emotional Intelligence

At this point it is important to point out that financial intelligence is also

emotional intelligence. Warren Buffett, the world’s richest investor, says,
“If you cannot control your emotions, you cannot control your money.” The
same is true for your process. One of the toughest parts of my process was
not quitting when I was depressed, not losing my temper when I was

frustrated, and to continue to study when I wanted to run.
Another reason many people fail in their process is they cannot live
without instant gratification. The main reason I mention the low pay I
received at the start of my life was to illustrate the importance of delayed

gratification. Many will sacrifice a richer tomorrow for a few bucks today. I
did not make much money in my twenties and thirties, but I make millions
today.
Controlling the highs and lows of my emotions, and delaying short-term

gratification, was essential in developing my financial intelligence. In other
words, emotional intelligence is essential to financial intelligence. In fact, I
would say that when it comes to money, emotional intelligence is the most
important intelligence of all. It is more important than academic or

professional intelligence. For example, many people fail to chase after their
dreams because of fear. If they start, they quit when they fail, and then they
blame others when they should be taking responsibility for their failures.