Friday, January 30, 2009

Are you stingy?

A SYT asked, "Robert! You are a successful man and must be super rich?" I said,"N0! I am successful in my career but I am not rich because I am not stingy enough."


Perhaps this SYT might not understand my statement. I had read a book, "The characteristic of being a billionaire"...explaining what the rich people do and don't. One common feature for the rich is...they are always stingy in nature. They tend to spend less by themselves but not shameful to make you spend on them. Their cash is constantly being locked in untouched. Whereas they prefer to use bank borrowing, who are too willing to loan the rich. At the end, the bank has to take the risk while the rich is protected with his cash saved under a safe haven.

An incident I won't forget. Many years ago, while prospecting a case, I met a filthy rich man at his expensive office in town. Over a discussion, I needed to write his telephone number down. On his executive desk, there was a paper pad of three inches by three inches size, which I thought I could use. I asked his permission to give me one piece for the writing. Instead of offering me the one full page, he cut it into half and kept the other half for himself. Passing the paper to me, he said, "there you are, you don't need the full paper for writing my information". I darn not uttered a word and took the half cut paper with a smile for him. In my mind, he was so rich and yet so stingy for only a piece of paper. Perhaps this is the normal way the rich behaves in society, otherwise they are not rich if they aren't stingy.

What about you? If you want to be billionaire, then you have to be stingy without the shyness of being looked upon. I can't for I rather like to be what I am and be contented as just a normal successful person rich in the heart.

Food for the heart - "Find the seed at the bottom of your heart and bring forth a flower" - Shigenori Kameoka.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ahh, how well I can relate to this. My father, who is embarassingly rich is incredibly stingy and becomes more so with every passing year. He is 88 years old and is saving money more greedily than ever. He does some things to save money that would be too humiliating for me to relate.

Weirdly, I am kind of preoccupied lately with what type of a casket he would want. I recently saw one on-line that is like the Ziplock storage containers that are "disposable". I'm sure it's inexpensive and might even serve better than a solid rosewood box, but which would he go for? LOL!

Robert Foo said...

Hi Anonymous..

Can't blame your father as the rich is always stingy. I am glad you are not. Thank you for reading this blog.