Concept
Fear and Desire
Fear and desire are the two emotions that, in Robert Kiyosaki's account, quietly make most money decisions: fear pushes people toward the safety of a paycheck, and desire spends that paycheck before it arrives.
In Rich Dad Poor Dad, Kiyosaki argues that two feelings steer much of a working life. Fear of not having enough keeps people in jobs they would otherwise question, and a steady salary becomes the price of feeling safe. Desire for what money can buy then spends that salary through upgrades, instalments and credit, often before payday. The result is a loop: the more you spend, the more you fear losing the income, and the tighter you hold on to the job. The problem isn't that you feel these emotions, because everyone does. The problem is that they act unquestioned. A frightened person grabs the first secure option, and a wanting person signs the first payment plan. The fix is not to suppress the feeling. It is to insert a deliberate pause so that your own numbers, not the feeling, cast the deciding vote.
A real-life example
Mark, a nurse, sees a new car advertised at £320 a month and feels the pull immediately. Instead of signing at the dealership, he goes home and adds the payment to his budget. His monthly savings would drop from £410 to £90. After sleeping on it, the desire fades to a mild want. He keeps his current car another year. He also starts moving £320 a month into a buffer, which makes his job feel less like a cage.
How to use it
- 1Name the feeling before acting. Ask: "Is this fear of not having enough, or desire for something?" Writing down that one word is often enough to loosen the feeling's grip.
- 2Set a pause rule for any money decision above a threshold you choose, such as one day for every £100. That way the decision is never made in the moment the feeling is strongest.
- 3During the pause, run the numbers: what this does to your monthly savings, your debt and your options a year from now. Then decide, and let the figures cast the deciding vote.