Rice is a popular food in many cultures across the world. However, for many generations, across Asia rice was seen as much more than just a food.  Rice was a way of life, a symbol of status and wealth.

Rice farming was and is still a part of China’s cultural legacy. It is understood that building a rice farm was demanding, complicated and sometimes tedious work. Not to mention many lives depended on the productivity of their family ‘rice patty’.

In his book ‘Outliers’ Malcom Gladwell seems to make a link between China’s cultural legacy and the common idea that Chinese kids are better at Maths. This is for two reasons:

  1. The structure of their language makes Maths easier to understand at an earlier age.
  2. The legacy of rice farming in china and most of Eastern Asia has led to a cultural belief that success is earned through hard work.

Could it really be that these simple cultural differences are the reason for the vast academic advantages Asian students seem to have? And if so, how can we learn from this?

The Rice at Home vision, is that by acquiring and cultivating financial skills that have sometimes been overlooked, we can create a generation of influencers that can and will shake up the professional scene.

Now for me personally, as a young Caribbean man, how can I relate this rice analogy to me and my culture?

Now although Rice isn’t native to the Americas it is something that we have cultivated over a number of years. The method of growing rice is very different. It’s more focused on directly seeding the fertile ground. So what does that do for my cultural legacy now relation to that of the Chinese ? Well It’s well known that the Caribbean isles aren’t short of fertile land meaning that as a result, islands that produce rice are able to produce a whole lot of it!

Growing up rice was a staple food for me. Whether it was plain white rice, rice ‘n peas or some other variation, rice was involved in 90% of my meals. I never had to worry about what I was eating when I came from school, or church, or football. I always knew there was Rice At Home.

In his Millionaire Handbook Grant Cardone talks about accumulating enough wealth so that no single loss can cause you any significant financial issues. #RAH for me is a symbol of financial freedom. I am striving to get to a place, money-wise, where I no longer need to worry ‘where my next meal is coming from’. I will be able experiment and diversify my investments as I know I have the reserves there to back me up.

So why should you care about what we as Rice At Home are saying? Because, we want a better future for ourselves and the future generation. I am sure you want the same for yourself. We don’t profess to know everything about finances; Not at all. But what we do know is that we are committed to learning and sharing basic financial skills and tips that will help us all along the path to success. Just like the Chinese cultural legacy of rice farming, our aim is to create a cultural legacy in our community, of financial awareness, competency and responsibility to give the future generations an intellectual ‘leg up’.

Small Analogy: (The Destination is Financial Freedom, The vehicle is knowledge, The fuel is motivation and the driver is you)

You may get side tracked, you may see a quick drive-thru (get rich quick schemes etc) but the goal is to remember there’s always Rice At Home. #RAH



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