What is the Rat Race?
If you are someone who, like me, has a fervent imagination and, hearing it for the first time, you imagined a mouse in sports clothes, running in the marathon of his village or you just thought about the classic mouse that runs incessantly on his wheel, well you were wrong.
The Rat Race is a very interesting concept in the financial sector that has been popularized by Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad Poor Dad and today we will see what it is and how to escape from it.
Rat Race: definition
If you end up working constantly, but can’t make ends meet and the word ‘savings’ is an urban myth and legend you’ve never had the pleasure to to know firsthand, then you’re dealing with what it’s called the ‘rat race’.
The term “rat race” first came into use in 1930 to describe an exhausting and frustrating financial routine cthat leaves no time for our desires and hobbies.
The ‘rat race’ refers to a daunting financial lifestyle that lives most of the population and which it is difficult to get out and escape from.
Most of the time, people who live this condition ignore it or do not want to recognize it.
Robert Kiyosaki explains in his famous book that being in the “rat race” is a problem of money perception, so it is very difficult to recognize and break with it to get the desired financial freedom.
This means that there is no point in trying to work and earn more or getting an increase in salary in order to pay the mortgage and all the daily expenses. This is due to the fact that those who are in the condition of the “rat race” have a bad mentality about money and, even if they earn more money, without realizing it, they proportionately increase their expenses so that there is no tangible financial progress.
Kiyosaki states that the entire “system” is structured in such a way that most people follow a path considered “normal” and for which, if you choose it, you will be praised. Instead, if you stray from it, you will be criticized for your choices.
For Kiyosaki, this path is characterized by people who:
- Study a lot in school and get good MARKS;
- Go to college to graduate;
- Send resume and look for job opportunities;
- Get a job as an employee;
- Are found with more disposable income;
- Update their lifestyle and consume more;
- Finance their lifestyle with debts (mortgages, credit cards, etc.);
- Stay in their work because they can’t finance their debts;
- All this is repeated until they retire in old age;
- Die of remorse for not having lived a more satisfying life.
END!
It is sad to say, but this condition is experienced by a high percentage of the world population, made up for the most part by the working class, especially by people who work for third parties.
But it is also the road that most people prefer given that, staying in the comfort zone gives them a perception of safety and false happiness which makes them not aware of its consequences.
HOW TO ESCAPE FROM THE RAT RACE?
You who are reading this will probably be, like most of the world’s population, in this ‘comfort zone’ called the Rat Race.
Perhaps, until now you have not realized and flaunted a ‘cool’ and socially praised lifestyle, without thinking that you are in the largest slice of the population living in a golden cage but far from true financial freedom..
So, “How to escape from the rat race?” Is there a way to change direction, jump off the rat wheel and start a new life oriented towards true happiness and freedom?
For Kiyosaki you can, and below you will find some tips that the author, in his book and in various articles of his blog Richdad, advise its public, so that you can escape from the rat race and develop your financial freedoma.
Vediamo come conseguirlo:
- Improving financial intelligence: First, according to Kiyosaki, to get your financial freedom, you don’t have to give up your expenses completely, but the most important thing is to work to increase your financial intelligence..
- Develop a financial education: The most important difference between rich and poor is the education they receive about money and in our society there is still no subject in school on this important subject. So most people have never been taught anything about money. For this reason, if you want to get out of the vicious circle of the rat trapped in its wheel, it is very important that you train in this area, through blogs, books, videos or any source that can provide you with knowledge.
- Saving: Before you get a good sum of savings, do not fall into theDiderot effect/span>. Beware of unnecessary spending and don’t buy luxury goods until you’ve built enough resources to pay for them.
- Generate extra revenue: Your income must be higher than your expenses. To do this you have to avoid unnecessary expenses and find a way to get extra goods that allow you to pay all your expenses.
- Investing:Did you know that the rich first invest and then spend? If you want to indulge in luxuries, first you have to earn them and get a large amount of money to pay off the debts you can’t pay.To earn money you have to invest and prepare to take away the fear that investment entails. Beyond the potential risks, if you want to get out of the rat race, investing will help you earn extra resources without having to work.
Well, if you are one of those who are trapped in the ‘rat race’ and want to break the circle, you can start putting into practice these sound advice, from a financial point of view, and deepen the reading of additional resources on the subject.
And if you have time and desire, you can always test yourself with the CASHFLOW Classic Game, created by Robert Kiyosaki himself, now also in online version.
Because, as the author says, the best way to learn how to invest or buy your first real estate is not by reading books or listening to lectures, but by doing it.
So, before you test yourself, why not try?