Force Yourself to Think
Because I had two influential fathers, I learned from both of them. I had to think about each dad’s advice, and in doing so, I gained valuable insight into the power and effect of one’s thoughts on one’s life. For example, one dad had a habit of saying, “I can’t afford it.” The other dad forbade those words to be used. He insisted I say, “How can I afford it?” One is a statement; the other is a question. One lets you off the hook; the other forces you to think.
— Robert Kiyosaki, Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Denise writes:
Huh.
If you twist that ever so slightly, you have “I can’t afford it” being the responsible thing to say, since it shows that you know your limits. And you have “How can I afford it?” being the start of a self-delusion trip into debt, because you show yourself that you can afford the monthly payments for whatever.
“I can’t afford it” isn’t an automatic excuse to let you off the hook. If it is an excuse at all, it’s only one as far as “How can I afford it?” is an excuse for indulging in flimsy justification of unnecessary expense.