free4now said:
That seems to be the Kiyosaki approach as well: Get people psyched up to make progress with money, but don't give any good advice about what to actually do. People feel the excitement and confuse it with progress.
This is the heart of the problem. Emotional motivation is great, but without concrete steps towards a goal it is useless. Kiyosaki can't give people anything more than emotional motivation and simple platitudes regarding "how the rich got rich" because he himself has never built a successful business -- other than a motivational speaking business, of course. There are plenty of step-by-step books on entrepreneurship, but they're boring to most people since they don't dangle the carrots of immeasurable wealth, happiness and a promise of the "good life". Rather, they emphasize complex concepts such as marketing, customers, inventory, accounting, corporate structure, stock, etc.... Why worry about such things when you can simply flip real estate and make a bundle?
The whole thing reminds me of the following "Laws of Power" (from the book by the same title):
Law 27 -- Play on People’s Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following
People have an overwhelming desire to believe in something. Become the focal point of such desire by offering them a cause, a new faith to follow. Keep your words vague but full of promise; emphasize enthusiasm over rationality and clear thinking. Give your new disciples rituals to perform, ask them to make sacrifices on your behalf. In the absence of organized religion and grand causes, your new belief system will bring you untold power.
Law 30 -- Make your Accomplishments Seem Effortless
Your actions must seem natural and executed with ease. All the toil and practice that go into them, and also all the clever tricks, must be concealed. When you act, act effortlessly, as if you could do much more. Avoid the temptation of revealing how hard you work – it only raises questions. Teach no one your tricks or they will be used against you.
Law 32 -- Play to People’s Fantasies
The truth is often avoided because it is ugly and unpleasant. Never appeal to truth and reality unless you are prepared for the anger that comes for disenchantment. Life is so harsh and distressing that people who can manufacture romance or conjure up fantasy are like oases in the desert: Everyone flocks to them. There is great power in tapping into the fantasies of the masses.
Law 37 -- Create Compelling Spectacles
Striking imagery and grand symbolic gestures create the aura of power – everyone responds to them. Stage spectacles for those around you, then full of arresting visuals and radiant symbols that heighten your presence. Dazzled by appearances, no one will notice what you are really doing.