Blog | Entrepreneurship

When the Student is Ready, the Teacher Will Appear

Even though you feel you can do it all on your own, keep your eyes and ears open for true growth

They say timing is everything.

That’s true in every aspect of life. Everything from landing that perfect job to starting the business you’ve always dreamed about.

But often times we feel we’re ready, when we’re not. Life is sometimes cruel like that.

Students, meet your teacher: Mr. Kiyosaki

My wife, Lisa, and I felt we were ready when we weren’t. That is until December of 2001. That’s when we listened to an audiobook from Robert Kiyosaki that changed everything.

The CD’s were a gift from my dad. They were a gift that I normally would have thrown away. Thank goodness I didn’t.

Buried in the messages of that audiobook was the thing we needed to hear to move us from everyday employees to determined business owners.

What we took away that day literally changed our lives forever. We heard someone, a complete stranger, not just giving us permission to take a different path but outright urging us to do so in order to find our own success.

Unlike the education we learned from books in school that we were told would lead to success, Robert was telling us that lifelong learning was the key.

This completely blew our minds.

What stood out the most was the revelation that we had a choice. It wasn’t about following a certain path, but forging our own path.

You must fail to succeed

One of the things Robert said that really stuck with us was this: “The reason most people don’t get anywhere in life is because they are afraid to fail.”

Whoa.

Failure, he continued, is how we learn. The sooner we fail, the faster we progress toward success.

On any other day (maybe like yesterday for you?), that message may not have meant anything. But for us, on that day, he was ordering us to blaze a new trail. Failure was no longer to be feared but confronted and conquered.

In my first blog for Rich Dad, I introduced a man I called Spencer. I met Spencer while I was in rehab getting treatment for alcoholism. Spencer was the owner of the treatment center I was attending. Through our friendship I discovered we shared a common background in the service industry. We both knew how those environments can be a breeding ground for people like us.

While in rehab, I realized I needed to make some significant changes in my life. I saw something in how Spencer was able to turn his life around after becoming sober. I knew I wanted to do the same thing.

After my life returned to a new normal with Lisa, we knew what we had to do. With Spencer’s knowledge and support, with the incredible words of guidance from Robert Kiyosaki ringing in our ears, we knew we had everything necessary to open our own rehabilitation centers.

Seek and you shall find

The main piece of advice is to always be on the lookout for insights and wisdom. If your eyes and ears (and heart) are truly open and you’re asking the right questions, they will reveal the answers you are ready to know.

As you grow and become more successful, be careful not to become complacent. There’s always something to learn.

You may find, as I have, that the more success you acquire the more questions you have. You’ll gain respected advisors who you can continue to learn from.

It was many years after we listened to those CD’s back in the winter of 2001 that we finally met Robert and Kim for the first time. They have since given us far greater knowledge than we ever would have dreamed possible.

What about you? What questions are you seeking answers to? What is your next step?

If you would like to learn more about how we created our addiction treatment centers, check us out at WarriorsHeart.com. If you’re interested in learning more about social entrepreneurship, grab a copy of our book The Social Capitalist.