Life is a journey, not a destination

Life is like a roller coaster. It has its ups and downs. It’s not always easy to be mindful that we actually do have a choice, especially when the downward track of the coaster causes us to feel pain inside. But the reality is that we control our thoughts and our thoughts control our destiny. 

The following are few of the heart-stirring insights of the Integrity classes:

Pain is inevitable for growth

A lot of us tend to see pain as a negative experience and it is our desire to avoid pain as much as possible, and understandably so. But unfortunately, pain is an inevitable consequence of life and we have to deal with whether we like it or not. When it eventually befalls us, we should try as much as possible to turn it into a positive experience. ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ Understanding the positive aspects of experiencing pain can help us do this better.

“Feel the pain till it hurts no more.” – William Shakespeare

Well for one, there is strength that we gain from pain once it has subsided. Once the initial shock of the pain has passed we are able to see what we have learned from it and how it has made us a more resilient individual. For example, when we have fallen sick don’t our eyes suddenly open up to all the blessings we have before us? Don’t we suddenly realize what all the important things in life are?

That was just but an example of how pain can have a positive result. Physical pain, however, can always go away, unlike emotional/mental pain, which may linger for a lifetime if not handled correctly. 

Every time we encounter pain, we carry with us a memory of the experience. These memories in turn act as lessons that enable us to better handle any similar occurrences in the future. We are able to apply what we have learned in the future.

  “The pain you feel today will be the strength you feel tomorrow.” ~Unknown

Cherish the present moment

Living in the present moment is crucial to success, by being aware of the here and now we will live a better life. Many people allow their mind to dwell in the past or worry about the future and they forget to live now, enjoy the moment, be present, be appreciative and grateful for life. We should have faith that everything will turn out to be the best. Indeed, we have to make an informed choice to live in the present always.

“If you are depressed, you are living in the past, if you are anxious, you are living in the future, if you are at peace, you are living in the present.” – Lao Tzu

Growth mindset

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” ― Theodore Roosevelt

A success doesn’t mean the accomplishment of any task; it is about working hard, overcoming the external forces and making sacrifices. Overcoming the power of our own mind is another vital factor.

A negative mindset or attitude that makes us believe that something is impossible would work only against us in the long run. It does nothing than to pull us back while we are trying to move ahead. If we have faith in our abilities, we will try again and again until we achieve it. The belief won’t let us slow down and rest until we taste the success.

Follow a no-lose model when making decisions

A big barrier to being able to feel fear and do it anyway, is people’s difficulty in making decisions. Our need to be perfect and to control the outcome of events, keep us petrified when considering making a change in our lives.

The trick is to follow a no-lose model when making decisions. Typically, when faced with a decision, we are trained to follow a no-win model. We think about the decisions that need to be made and obsess about the “what if’s” and even after the decision has been made, we obsess over the possibility that we’ve made a mistake.

A no-lose model, on the other hand, is based on the understanding that whatever path we choose will have benefits. Whether it’s opportunities to experience life in a new way; or to understand something new about ourself; or to learn and grow, there will always be things to gain no matter what choice we make. Whatever happens as a result of our decision, we’ll handle it!

Accept things gracefully

One of the most valuable lessons in learning how to diminish fear is to say ‘YES’ to the universe. It means to accept the things that happen in our lives; letting go of our resistance when things don’t work out the way we wanted them to; and calmly surveying situations from a place of relaxation as opposed to upset and anxiety.

We can’t control the world, but we can control our reactions to it. Saying yes means getting up and acting on our belief that we can create meaning and purpose in whatever life hands us.

Challenge our perspective

One way to handle pain is to change our perspective of it. Life isn’t always going to be on a downward spiral. When it is, we can find ways to focus on the positive instead of the negative. Perspective plays a key role in acceptance. 

Embracing mistakes

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” ― Albert Einstein

When we consider that mistakes are an integral part of living. We are not going to succeed in everything we attempt in life. In fact, the more things we do in life, the more chances are there to be unsuccessful in some things. Look at how rich our life can be, however, from our experiences. No one is immune to making mistakes – we are human, after all!

Managing emotions

Learning to manage our emotions in the proper way allows us to embrace reality, give us strength that will define us, a new, empowered being in the future. When life keeps giving us its toughest blows, it will help to fully experience our emotions. The largest mistake people make is masking their emotions. This is counterproductive and will lead to health problems in the future. When each emotion comes, feel it. Our body will tell us when it’s enough. Let it out and submit to the beginning of a process that will take time to complete. We should never bottle up our emotions and confide them to the people to whom we can lean on. To feel is to be human, embrace it!

Be a lifelong learner

Life is a continuous learning experience. We are lifelong learners. Throughout our lives we keep rising and falling, picking up important lessons along the way.  Each experience is a valuable lesson to be learned. If we choose Path A, we will learn one set of lessons. If we choose Path B, we will learn a different set of lessons. 

In essence, fear of making mistakes cannot stop us from making decisions. In life don’t worry about making a wrong decision; it’s learning when to correct! Ultimately, if we knew we could handle anything that comes our way then we would have nothing to fear about.

“We have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius

Reflection of Chapters 4 TO 8 of RICH DAD AND POOR DAD.

लेखक का कहना है कि वास्तव में लोग सम्पति और जिम्मेदारी के अंतर को नहीं समझते। वे दुनिया की भीड़चाल में वही वस्तुएं एकत्र करते हैं जो उन्हें सम्पति दिखाई देती हैं लेकिन होती हैं जिम्मेदारी। लेखक के अनुसार वित्तीय रूप से शिक्षित होने के लिए इस अंतर को समझना अति आवश्यक है। उन्होंने बताया कि सम्पति वही है जो आपकी आय का जरिया बने। अमीर होने की कोई सीमा नहीं, लेकिन जब आपकी सम्पति से इतनी आय होने लगे कि आपकी मूल जरूरतें पूरी कर सके तो आप वास्तव में अमीर हैं। अक्सर अचानक मिला धन इंसान संभाल नहीं पाता क्योंकि वह वित्तीय रूप से शिक्षित नहीं होता। उन्होंने कई ऐसे उदाहरण दिए हैं, मुझे यहाँ पुराने फिल्म अभिनेता भरत भूषण का उदाहरण याद आया जो अपने अंतिम समय में गरीबी के दौर से गुजरे। कई लोग विलास वस्तुओं (luxuries) को अपनी सम्पति समझने की भूल करते हैं। लेखक के अनुसार लोन लेकर ऐसी वस्तुओं का संग्रह करना मूर्खता है। समझदारी है यदि आपकी सम्पति आपके लिए इन वस्तुओं को खरीदने की क्षमता पैदा कर सके। आप अपने व्यवसाय के अतिरिक्त अपने लिए ऐसी सम्पति खड़ी करें जो आपको अतिरिक्त आय दे सके।

पाँचवे अध्याय में लेखक ने कर लेने के इतिहास पर प्रकाश डाला है। अमेरिका और ब्रिटैन में राजा या सरकार युद्ध के दौरान मदद हेतु अमीरों से कर लेते थे। धीरे धीरे कर लेने की प्रथा कायम हो गयी और अब कर देना हर नागरिक की जिम्मेदारी बन गई। यहाँ उन्होंने बताया कि इंसान अपनी नौकरी करते हुए भी बचत करके ऐसी सम्पति का उत्पादन करने का प्रयास कर सकता है जो उसकी आय में वृद्धि करे। इसके लिए वह कोई उद्योग कर सकता है। यहाँ एक और बात समझाई गई है कि व्यक्तिगत व्यवसाय से बेहतर है कॉर्पोरेट व्यवसाय क्योंकि इन व्यवसाय के लिए कर की दरें कम होती हैं। अमीर होने के लिए या वित्तीय साक्षरता के लिए वयक्ति को चार कुशलताओं की जरुरत है, अकाउंट की समझ , निवेश करने की समझ, बाजार और कर के लिए बने कानून की जानकारी। जिसके पास ये जानकारी है वह समय पर सही फैसला लेने में सक्षम होता है।

लेखक के अनुसार किसी एक कौशल में श्रेष्ठ होने से बेहतर है कि आप विभिन्न कौशल की जानकारी रखते हों, जिससे समय पड़ने पर आप विभिन्न रास्तों में से अपने लिए सही रास्ते का चुनाव कर सकें। उन्होंने नेतृत्व करने की कुशलता का महत्व भी बताया है। लेखक का कहना है कि व्यक्ति जितनी कम उम्र से सम्पति गठन के लिए काम करना शुरू कर दे उतना ही वह ज्यादा सफल हो सकता है और यदि उसे असफलता का सामना करना पड़े तो भी उसके पास संभलने और पुनः प्रयास करने का अवसर होता है। Best Writer – Best Seller के बीच का अंतर बताते हुए उन्होंने बहुत ही कुशलता के साथ यह समझाया है कि हमें अपनी कुशलता या हुनर को बेचना भी आना चाहिए। McDonald अपने साधारण से बने बर्गर को बेच रहा है क्योंकि उसमें व्यवसाय कौशल है।

आगे लेखक ने पाँच ऐसे तथ्यों के बारे में बताया है जो इंसान को सम्पति गठन करने से रोकते हैं।
१. डर :अधिकतर लोग असफल होने या धन खोने से डरते हैं इसलिए कोई जोखिम उठाना नहीं चाहते। असफलता ही सफल होने की पहली सीढ़ी होती है, असफलता हमें कुछ न कुछ सीख देती है और फिर से कोशिश करने की और जीतने की चुनौती भी। अमीर इसे चुनौती समझते हैं जबकि गरीब हार मान कर अपने कदम पीछे ले लेते हैं।
२. संदेह : किसी नए कार्य के प्रति सफलता को लेकर हम हमेशा संदेह करते हैं और उस पर यदि कोई और नकारात्मक बात कह दे तो बिलकुल मान लेते हैं कि असफलता निश्चय ही होगी और कोई कदम उठाने से पहले ही रुक जाते हैं।
३. आलस : हम अपने आपको इतना वयस्त रखते हैं कि जरूरी काम के लिए हमारे पास वक्त ही नहीं होता। वास्तव में ये हमारा आलस होता है।
४. बुरी आदतें : हम अपनी आय से सभी बिल का भुगतान करते हैं पर खुद के लिए आखिर में सोचते हैं। लेखक के अनुसार हमें सबसे पहले अपने लिए भुगतान करना चाहिए क्योंकि दूसरों को भुगतान करने के लिए अपनी आय बढाने की प्रेरणा हमें वहीँ से मिलेगी।
५. अभिमान : हम अपनी कमियों को छुपाने का प्रयास करते रहते हैं और समझते हैं जो हमें नहीं आता वो सीखना इतना जरुरी भी नहीं है।

SHORT BOOK CLUB: RICH DAD POOR DAD

Rich Dad Poor Dad is how to use money as a tool for wealth development. Book explains why your residence,car or any kind of luxury may not really be an asset. It describes the real difference between an asset and a liability, and much more.

We learnt that stay financially healthy by investing as much of your money as possible in assets rather then spending your all your money on your luxury.

I also come to know the difference that employees who work for somebody else spend their money post-tax, while business owners earn and spend before paying tax.

To develop your financial genius understand the power of choice and choose daily what to do, including choosing the right habits and educating yourself. Think bigger to get richer, because small thinkers don’t get the big breaks.

professional success is no longer solely linked to academic success, as it once was. Because students leave school without financial skills, millions of educated people pursue their profession successfully, but later find themselves struggling financially. They work harder, but don’t get ahead. What is missing from their education is not how to make money, but how to spend money.

RICH DAD POOR DAD – Financial Intelligence 

RICH DAD POOR DAD – Financial Intelligence 

Chapter 3 to 7 

Every common person tries to study well and specialise in their subject. But the author (Robert T Kiyosaki) says that you should have developed knowledge in every field. Indian mentality believes in “Enough is better than too much” but the author believes you need to plan life and need to take risks. 

In all three chapters, the author is talking about Financial literacy. You should know – how to find the opportunities that others are not seeing. The author shares some of his real-life examples of how can we find opportunities during economic crises. 

Why is the job necessary?? Of course, our answer will be for earning money but Robert says to do the job to learn skills and use those skills for your own business. 

Following are the important takeaways from these chapters.  

  • Financial literacy is important. Teach your children about the same. 
  • Develop new skills. 
  • Face your fear of losing money. 
  • Come out of your comfort zone and take intelligent risk
  • Work on your bad habits 

Short book club: Rich Dad Poor Dad

Why people face scarcity of money in their life because People use their job for the betterment of other people for their whole life. People always work for money for those who do jobs. 

Rich people always focus on creating assets and the middle class or poor people always struggle with their economy. People buy houses, cars, and furniture and pay installments but when they do not have any job to do then these all become their liabilities during the crisis. It is not going to help them. They need to sell at a lower price which does not solve this problem and they need to pay capital tax as well on the sale of the property.

 

Mind your job means keep doing your Job but focus on buying assets. 

Young people suggested by cutting down their Extravagant expenditure, decrease liabilities and through hard work increase property columns. Young people who are eager to get married, buy houses, cars, luxuries, and expand their families always face financial issues. For these all things, they need to pay installments. In case of any crisis if they lose the job then again they are going to be in trouble. They need to sell the property at a low price.

What are real assets in the real meaning

1 You are the owner of the business but you no need to do any work, it managed by other people

2 stock means good company’s share

3 Bond

4 Mutual fund

5 Real estate which generates rent or income

6 Lending money to someone in return for fixed interest

7 Royalty

8 Land

9 Gold,

“The failure chance of any venture 10/9 

Jo tame khare khar business chalu karwa mangata hoy to j karo. Din ki nokari karte rahe aur apne kam se kam rakhe.”

To run a business you need to do so many tedious tasks. Save yourself from creating new liabilities 

Four things everyone should know 1) Accounting, 2) Investing, 3) Understanding the market 4) Laws.

 

  

 

RICH DAD, POOR DAD BY ROBERT T. KIYOSAKI

Chapter 3 – In this chapter author is talking about the importance of financial literacy. A good explanation is given about the difference between assets and liabilities. Assests help us generating cash flow and liabilities give us more debt. So one must enhance the column of assets and at the same time keep control on expenses and liabilities.

 

Chapter 4 – In this chapter author is talking about the importance of your own business and entrepreneurship. He author is emphasizing on the idea of having a business and/or starting with some mindful financial investment such as “Stock, Bonds, Mutual Funds, Asset which is not a liability, real estate, Royalty based income, etc…”. These are the real cash flow income where no physical presence is required of the investor. And more importantly, we can manage to start building some of these assets along with our normal jobs.

 

Chapter 5 – In this chapter history is given that how the game of “Taxes” got started. Author also talked about the power of having own corporation wrapped around with our own assets. Author also talked about financial IQ which is based on four broad areas of expertise. 1. Accounting 2. Investing 3. Understanding market (the rule of demand and supply) 4. The law. The bigger your money is the smarter you have to be, otherwise the empire starts falling down. Ultimately your knowledge is your power.

 

Chapter 6 – In this chapter author has given example of Graham Bell and the patent of his invention called, “Telephone”. Author also talked about the Cashflow game which provides instant personal feedback to the players rather than lecture. The example of the lady who got divorced and got separated from her husband was making lot of sense and providing a life lesson that not just male but each and everyone music educate themselves with the financial literacy.

 

Chapter 7 – This chapter talks about the importance of working in different departments of company and learn every aspect of business rathe being stagnant in one department and become specialized. The more specialized the person is the more riskier the income will be. Working in different departments initially may give you a less pay but in long run it may give you a large dividend. Author has also emphasized to learn, “how to sell?”. A very good example is given in the book of a news paper writer who wanted to become a best selling author. And like that some more personal examples of author’s life is given in this chapter.

 

Thank you.

Short books club: Rich Dad Poor Dad book

The key takeaways from Chapter 3 to 7 of the book “Rich Dad Poor Dad” are and I enjoyed the Cashflow game on the website too. 

Takeaways: 

Chapter 3 focuses on the title “Mind your own business” which is basically says that you should own your own business even if you are working for someone else.
A few claims made in this chapter which I liked are:

1. The rich focus on their asset columns while everyone else focuses on their income statements.

2. I liked the example quoted in the book about McDonald’s.” While most people assume that Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald’s, is in the hamburger business, Kroc once told an MBA class that he’s actually in the real estate business. That’s why he carefully chose every location for his franchises.”

3.To become rich, you’ll need to buy luxuries last. People who buy luxuries first are often in much debt. The aim is to build income-generating assets that can buy luxuries.

Chapter 4: The History of Taxes And The Power of Corporations

Robert uses his own case study of “Xerox” to make us understand a few important things about assets and financial intelligence.

Financial IQ is made up of four key areas which everyone should learn.

Accounting: ability to read numbers
Investing: the concept of money making money
Understanding markets: knowing supply and demand
The law

Chapter 5: The Rich Invent Money

Three skills of an investor:

Find an opportunity that everyone else missed: see with your mind instead of your eyes
Raise money: know how to raise capital outside of a bank
Organize smart people: hire people more intelligent than you

Chapter 6: Work to Learn – Don’t Work For Money

Robert Kiyosaki recommends taking on jobs where you can learn new skills instead of jobs that pay the most.

Management Skills Needed for Success and one can pay for this to learn it better and it will help in the long run.

Management of cash flow
Management of systems
Management of people

Law of Money: “Give, and you shall receive.” is what Rich dad always advised for.

Chapter 7: Overcoming Obstacles

There are five core reasons why even the financially literate don’t become financially independent:

Fear
Cynicism
Laziness
Bad habits
Arrogance

I liked the line Laziness by staying busy. We don’t want to do or learn or work upon something and therefore we try to remain busy. This is one type of laziness.

Introscpection: 


Chapter 3 to 7 were discussed in detail with all participants with real-life examples. A few questions were raised after reading and discussing.


1. Why are we not taught Financial basics in school?
2. Why is it that females need to think about the family first before taking a risk?
3. Why there is so much fear when it comes to money?
4. Is real estate the way to earn money as described by the author?
5. Why there are many clubs in society but no financial club to discuss finances?
6. What if we want to learn now? Where do we learn it?

There is no end to questions that have arisen after reading these chapters. One thing which I have realized is don’t wait more but start walking on the way towards financial freedom. We cannot procrastinate now. 🙂

Regards,
Bhargavi.

Brief learning from Chapters 4 to 8 of Rich Dad and Poor Dad.

snippets from the above said chapters.

Mind your own business. The clear distinction between a profession and a  business . When you become an employee you are not minding your own business rather you are minding someone else’s business. You are making someone else rich . Your sweat , blood and hard work will eventually lead your employers to be more rich . The Income statements and Assets need to be given a hard look. Strengthening the asset column will help you generate more cash flows and hence will help you become more wealthy. Buying luxuries through your income will eventually lead to financial burden and that will mandate you to remain an employee till eternity. The luxuries bought from the cash flows of your asset column will not impose any financial restrictions and  burden. Rich pay more heed to their asset column and the middle class and poor enjoy luxury by plunging themselves in debt .  Mc donalds owner’s primary profession was salesman , however he owned the business of real estate through the franchises purchasing the land or paying the rent.

For the rich the following series will hold true earn , spend and pay taxes on whatever is left with you. However for the middle class and poor people the series would be earn, pay taxes and then spend whatever is left with you

The four skills that anyone should learn in order to become wealthy
1). Rules of Accounting. 2)Science of Investing 3) Understanding the technical aspects of the market which is emotionally driven by the demand and the supply chain . 4) Knowing the legal loopholes of the taxation system.
Understanding these principles will have a profound impact on your wealth.
The rich invent money. Financial IQ will help you come up with all possible creative financial solutions you can identify when you are stuck in a debt. The  income generated asset column should always be greater than your expenses column . Despite having the potential to be Rich the biggest challenge is self doubt with which an individual is embraced. We are living in an information age and the one who gets the quick information and acts on it will be the conqueror .Working with numbers and gaining financial literacy will help us be way ahead of the pack of herds. The investment games and the simulations created by Robert Kioski helped the participants receive a personalized and customized feedback . Only those who are able to creatively identify the financial strategies are able to move quickly on the fast track . They are able to come out of the so-called Proverbial Rat Race.
Educate yourself to learn and not to earn more money. Have a knowledge of little of a lot , his Rich dad exposed them to each and every department  and also he emphasized to be there in the meetings with his brokers, bankers and negotiators.
Make an attempt to learn new skills. The best example of being the Best Selling author and the Best writing author. He emphasized the journalist to take the schooling which gives her lessons on being the best salesman. The journalist should have taken the lessons on advertising copyright and knowledge of sales.
Pay yourself first that should be the rule of life. The Additional pressure to pay the creditors and the government bill collectors will force you to take up an extra job or identify an alternate source of income. When the stakeholders are paid before ourselves we experience a temporary state of relaxation but that will eventually broke us in the long run. The colonel Harland  sanders made use of his recipe of fried chickens and created a multi billion dollar empire at the age of 66 . He was knocked down 1009 times untill he received a YES.

Overcoming fear shall be an inbuilt attitude as Rich people will eventually incur a loss , however
a poor person will not lose a dime in his entire life.

Overcoming obstacles . One needs to overcome these 5 obstacles in order to become rich:
1) Fear: You should not fear to loose money. Consider failure as an opportunity to ananlyze, learn and progress rather than it being the reason to shun your growth . Rich consider failure as an opportunity and poor perceives failure as permanent defeat.
2)Cynicism: “The sky is falling” we might have heard this phrase many times. This brings the pessimistic thought process inside every individual. Try finding the truth amidst rumors and identify existing market trends by researching more about the technicalities of demand and supply.
3)Laziness: Often busy people are too lazy to step back momentarily and think about an alternative way of generating the Cash flow. When you are lazy try to infuse some greed and desire within that will propel you to push your limits and move an extra mile. Always ask the question what’s in it for me?This question will help you give the sudden spark and will enforce you to take appropriate action.
4)Bad Habits: Our life is a reflection of our inculcated daily habits. We need to alter the habits in order to change our attitude.
5)Arrogance: Arrogance is nothing but ego with ignorance. Often people with partial knowledge behave arrogantly as they believe what they don’t know isn’t that important. Most of the money, investment and finances related professionals are ignorant and are just spouting the sales pitch in pretty much the same way as the sales man of a used up car. Always invest in learning and hire expert services in order to be well versed with an altogether deviant field.
Regards,
Kinjal Morakhia

INTEGRITY REFLECTION– DAY 6

આજના ક્લાસ ની શરૂઆત “ખુદા હાફિઝ” મૂવીથી થઈ હતી જયારે દિવસ ના બીજા ભાગ માં અમે ટૂંકી મૂવી પણ જોઈ હતી, તે દરેક મૂવી પ્રેરણા દાયક હતી. તે સિવાય અમે ક્લાસ માં રૅપ(RAP) શીટ વિષે ચર્ચા કરી હતી જ્યાં ક્લાસ ના દરેક સભ્યો ની સમસ્યા, ડર, અંગત જીવન ની ચર્ચાઓ, તેમજ તેમના સંઘર્ષો ને સાંભળવું ગમ્યું. તે દરેક ચર્ચા માં હું મારી જાત ને ક્યાંય ને ક્યાંય જોડતો અને અનુભવતો હતો. હું સમજ્યો કે આપણે સૌ જીવન થી એક એવી અપેક્ષા રાખીએ છીએ કે તે દરેક સમયે સંપૂર્ણ અને આનંદિત રહે, પરંતુ જીવન ના કેટલાક કડવા અનુભવો અને વીતતો સમય આપણ ને જીવન માં ઘણું બધું શીખવી જતો હોય છે. 

એકંદરે કહીયે તો આજ નું સત્ર ખરેખર ખુબજ સારું અને આનંદમય હતું.

 

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