For most of us in India, money is a sensitive topic — spoken about, yet rarely taught. We grow up hearing “study hard, get a stable job, buy a house, save for the future” as if this formula alone guarantees financial security.
But after 20 years of working as an employee, leading teams, and later building my own startup, I learnt a hard truth:

Financial freedom doesn’t come from earning more — it comes from understanding money.

And this realisation became even sharper when I revisited the ideas of Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, a book that beautifully articulates many life lessons I had lived, experienced, and sometimes stumbled through myself. While the book is global in its philosophy, its wisdom holds immense relevance for India too — a young nation full of talent but still lacking deep financial literacy.

This Social Thought is a reflection of my own journey, blended with the core lessons of the book, written with a hope that young Indians can start early, avoid common traps, and build the financial freedom we all deserve.

Lesson 1: The Rich Don’t Work for Money — They Make Money Work for Them

In India, from childhood, we are conditioned to chase stable jobs. Salary is seen as security. But experience taught me that a paycheck alone can never be your shield.
Kiyosaki explains that the poor and middle class work for money, but the rich use money as a tool.

My learning:
Your job is important, but it cannot be your only source of income. Build skills, build assets, and build cash-flow that supports your life, not controls it.

Lesson 2: Financial Literacy Is Non-Negotiable

This is the biggest gap in India.
We learn physics, chemistry, coding — but rarely anything about taxes, investing, cash flow, or wealth creation.

Rich Dad Poor Dad simplifies it beautifully:

• Assets put money in your pocket
• Liabilities take money out

Many Indians think a new car on EMI is an asset. It’s not.
Financial literacy is about knowing where your money goes and how to make it grow.

My learning:
I’ve seen high-salary employees remain broke, and modest earners build wealth.
The difference? Understanding money, not earning it.

Lesson 3: Mind Your Own Business

Even when you’re working a full-time job, your personal financial life is your real business.
Kiyosaki’s advice is simple: don’t depend only on the company you work for — build something that belongs to you.

Indian reality:
Today, side businesses, freelancing, content creation, and investing are not luxuries — they are essential safety nets.

My learning:
Your employer pays your salary.
Your own assets pay your future, like mine NextStruggle.com #AskDushyant – a brand that reached global beyond my company circle.

Lesson 4: Understand Taxes, Structures & the Power of Planning

This lesson hits differently in India, where most people don’t understand how tax slabs work, what exemptions to use, or how to optimize investments.

Kiyosaki explains how the rich use proper structures, planning, and strategy.

My learning:
You don’t need to avoid taxes — you need to understand them.
A financially literate person saves legally, invests wisely, and builds better.

Lesson 5: The Rich Invent Money

Opportunities are not always given — often they are created.
With information, awareness, and courage, you can spot opportunities others miss.

My learning:
When you expand your knowledge, your opportunities expand automatically.
Risk isn’t dangerous — ignorance is.

Lesson 6: Work to Learn, Not Just to Earn

In my two decades of experience, I realised that skills matter more than titles.
For me biggest career jumps came not from promotions, but from skills I invested in:

• Communication
• Selling
• Finance
• Negotiation
• Leadership
• Technology
• Building my brand

Kiyosaki says — learn skills that make you valuable, not just employable.

My learning:
Your skillset is your true asset.

Lesson 7: Overcoming Obstacles

Fear, cynicism, lack of discipline, bad habits — these stop more Indians from wealth than lack of opportunity.
We fear risk. We fear loss. And sometimes, we fear starting.

My learning:
Failure isn’t the end — it’s data.
Fear is the real obstacle, not money.

Lesson 8: Getting Started Matters More Than Being Perfect

Most people delay investing or learning because they wait for the “right time.”
But the right time is always now.

Rich Dad Poor Dad encourages starting small with:

• A first SIP
• A first stock
• A first property
• A first skill
• A first side-income

My learning:
Compounding works only for those who begin.

Lesson 9: Keep Learning — Money Is a Lifelong Skill

Kiyosaki ends by reminding that financial education never stops.
Seek mentors, read books, attend workshops, experiment, and evolve.

My learning:
You don’t have to be born rich.
You have to grow rich — mentally first, financially later.

Why These Lessons Matter for Young Indians

India is a young nation — more than 50% of our population is under 30.
But this generation has the biggest advantage in history:

• Access to information
• Tools to invest
• Digital skills
• Global exposure
• Side-income opportunities
• Entrepreneurial culture

Yet many still live paycheck to paycheck.

I wrote this social thought blog with one hope:
If even one young person starts their financial journey early, avoids mindless consumerism, and understands the difference between income and wealth — it will change their life.

Final Social Thought: In my 20 years of corporate life and startup building, I understood one thing deeply:

Financial Freedom Is Not a Dream, It’s a Discipline, It’s a responsibility.
For yourself, your family, and your future.

Rich Dad Poor Dad didn’t teach me something completely new — it helped me articulate what life had already taught me, especially in the Indian context. If you want to enjoy early financial freedom like me— start learning, start building, and start believing in your future today.

#AskDushyant

Note: The names and information mentioned are based on my personal experience; however, they do not represent any formal statement.

#SocialThought #NewBeginning #RichDadPoorDad #RobertKiyosaki