If schools taught people about money, there would be more money and lower prices, but schools focus only on teaching people to work for money, not how to harness money'spower.'' "But don't we have business schools?" Mike asked. "Aren't you encouraging me to go to business school for my master's degree?" "Yes," said rich dad. "But all too often, business schools train employees who are sophisticated bean counters. Heaven forbid a bean counter takes over a business. All they do is look at the numbers, fire people and kill the business. I know because I hire bean counters. All they think about is cutting costs and raising prices, which cause more problems. Bean counting is important. I wish more people knew it, but it, too, is not the whole picture," added rich dad angrily. "So is there an answer?" asked Mike. "Yes," said rich dad. "Learn to use your emotions to thjnk, not think wjtJT_your emotions. When you boys mas- tered your emotions, first by agreeing to work for free, I knew there was hope. When you again resisted your emo- tions when I tempted you with more money, you were again learning to think in spite of being emotionally charged. That's the first step." "Why is that step so important'" I asked. "Well, that's up to you to find out. If you want to learn, I'll take you boys into the briar patch. That place where al- most everyone elseavofcls. TITtake you to that place where most people are afraid to go. If you go with me, you'll let go of the idea of working for money and instead learn to have money work for you." "And what will we get if we go with you? What if we agree to learn from you? What will we get?" I asked. "The same thing Briar Rabbit got," said rich dad. "Free- dom from the Tar Baby." Is "there a briar patch?" I asked. "Yes," said rich dad. "The bnar_patch is ourfear and our greed. Going into ourfear and confronting our greed, our weaknesses, our neediness is the way out. And the way out is through the mind, by choosing our thoughts." "Choosing our thoughts?" Mike asked, puzzled. "Yes. Choosing what we think rather than reacting to our emotions. Instead of just getting up and going to work to solve your problems, just because the fear of not having the money to pay your bills is scaring you. Thinking would be taking the time to ask yourself a question. A question like, 'Is working harder at this the best solution to this problem?' Most people are so terrified at not telling them- selves the truth-that fear is in control-that they cannot think, and instead run out the door. Tar Baby is in control. That's what I mean by choosing your thoughts." "And how do we do that?" Mike asked. "That's what I will be teaching you. I'll be teaching you to have a choice of tlioijgh.ts to consider, rather than knee- jerk reacting, like gulping down your morning coffee and running out the door. "Remember what I said before: A job is only a short- term solution to a long-term problem.