Rich Dad Poor Dad is a starting point for anyone looking to gain control of their financial future

5. Pay yourself first: the power of self-discipline 
If you cannot get control of yourself, do not try to get rich. It 
makes no sense to invest, make money, and blow it. It is the lack of
self-discipline that causes most lottery winners to go broke soon after
winning millions. It is the lack of self-discipline that causes people who 
get a raise to immediately go out and buy a new car or take a cruise.
It is difficult to say which of the 10 steps is the most important.
But of all the steps, this step is probably the most difficult to master 
if it is not already a part of your makeup. I would venture to say that 
personal self-discipline is the number-one delineating factor between 
the rich, the poor, and the middle class.
Simply put, people who have low self-esteem and low tolerance for 
financial pressure can never be rich. As I have said, a lesson learned from 
my rich dad was that the world will push you around. The world pushes 
people around, not because other people are bullies, but because the 
individual lacks internal control and discipline. People who lack internal 
fortitude often become victims of those who have self-discipline.
In the entrepreneur classes I teach, I constantly remind people 
to not focus on their product, service, or widget, but to focus on 
developing management skills. The three most important management 
skills necessary to start your own business are management of:
1. Cash flow
2. People
3. Personal time
I would say the skills to manage these three apply to anything, not 
just entrepreneurs. The three matter in the way you live your life as an 
individual, or as part of a family, a business, a charitable organization, 
a city, or a nation.
Each of these skills is enhanced by the mastery of self-discipline.
I do not take the saying, “Pay yourself first,” lightly.
The statement, “Pay yourself first,” comes from George Clason’s 
book, The Richest Man in Babylon. Millions of copies have been sold. 
But while millions of people freely repeat that powerful statement, 

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Chapter Eight: Getting Started
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few follow the advice. As I said, financial literacy allows one to read
numbers, and numbers tell the story. By looking at a person’s
income statement and balance sheet, I can readily see if people
who spout the words, “Pay yourself first,” actually practice what
they preach.
A picture is worth a thousand words. So let’s review the financial 
statements of people who pay themselves first against someone
who doesn’t.
Study the diagrams and see if you can pick up some distinctions.
Again, it has to do with understanding cash flow, which tells the story. 
Most people look at the numbers and miss the story.