It was not until my mid-twenties that my rich dad’s advice began to make more sense to me.
我20多岁时，才开始真正实施富爸爸的建议。
I was just out of the Marine Corps and working for Xerox.
我当时刚离开海军陆战队去施乐公司工作。
I was making a lot of money, but every time I looked at my paycheck, I was disappointed.
我挣了许多钱，但每当我看着工资单时，都感到很失望。
The deductions were so large and, the more I worked, the greater the deductions.
被扣掉的税款是如此之多，而且我越努力工作，扣得就越多。

As I became more successful, my bosses talked about promotions and raises.
当我更为成功时，我的老板们谈到了升职和加薪。
It was flattering, but I could hear my rich dad asking in my ear: “Who are you working for? Who are you making rich?”
虽然我有点飘飘然，但我仿佛听到富爸爸在问我：“你在为谁工作？你使谁富了？”
In 1974, while still an employee for Xerox, I formed my first corporation and began minding my own business.
1974年，当时我仍是施乐公司的雇员，我建立了我的第一家公司并开始“关注自己的事业”。
There were already a few assets in my asset column, but now I was determined to focus on making it bigger.
我已经有了一些资产，我决心使它增加。
Those paychecks, with all the deductions, made all the years of my rich dad’s advice make total sense.
这些年来挣着被扣掉税的工资使我完全明白了富爸爸的建议。
I could see the future if I followed my educated dad’s advice.
如果我继续听从我爸爸的建议，我已经可以看到我的将来是什么样子了。
Many employers feel that advising their workers to mind their own business is bad for business.
许多雇主认为建议雇员关注他们自己的事业对他们本职工作不利。
I’m sure it can be for certain individuals.
对某些人来说确实如此。
But for me, focusing on my own business, developing assets made me a better employee.
但对我而言，关注我自己的事业、努力增加资产，却使我成为一名更好的雇员。
I now had a purpose.
我现在有了目标。
I came in early and worked diligently, amassing as much money as possible so I could begin investing in real estate.
我得起早贪黑勤奋工作，好攒钱开始房地产投资。
Hawaii was just set to boom, and there were fortunes to be made.
夏威夷正在开发建设，大有发财的机会。
The more I realized we were in the beginning stages of a boom, the more Xerox machines I sold.
我越是意识到我们是在开始发展的阶段，我卖出的施乐复印机就越多。
The more I sold, the more money I made and, of course, the more deductions there were for my paycheck.
卖出的复印机越多，挣的钱也就越多，当然，我挣得越多，扣得也就越多。
It was inspiring. I wanted out of the trap of being an employee so badly that I worked harder not less.
这是一件振奋人心的事，我一定要通过努力工作跳出当雇员的陷阱。
By 1978, I was consistently one of the top five sales people in sales.
到1978年的时候，我的销售业绩总是列在公司前5名。
I badly wanted out of the Rat Race.
但我仍想跳出这场“老鼠赛跑”。