by Ryan H. Law
Ken Honda is “Japan’s Bestselling Zen Millionaire.” Honda retired at age 29 in order to spend more time with his daughter. He has started a second career helping people lead “happy, prosperous, and peaceful lives.” He has sold more than 8 million copies of his books worldwide.
Honda talks a lot about gratitude, and with November and Thanksgiving upon us, I decided to pick up Honda’s book “Happy Money.” It is different from most money books. There is no investment advice. No recommendations about budgeting. No suggestions about how often to check your credit or anything like that. Honda’s book is about improving your money mindset, and it is an enjoyable read!
I decided to share 10 takeaways from Ken Honda’s book Happy Money: The Japanese Art of Making Peace with Your Money. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.
- Thank you
“Whatever happens, you can say thank you. Thank you are the two most powerful words that will help you start to transform your relationship with money.”
Honda talks a lot about the powerful of gratitude when it comes to your money. He says that, “the key to ensuring more money is to thank the money when it comes in, and thank it again when it leaves you.”
“Want to be wealthy? Happy? Peaceful? Say thank you. It’s that simple.”
2. Money is Energy
Honda says that money is energy, and that we can choose to put a positive or negative charge to that energy. That charge can make money happy or unhappy.
You charge your money with a positive charge with gratitude and appreciation.
“It is the energy with which your money is given and received that determines your flow.”
3. Happy Money
Honda says that our money can be happy or unhappy. Happy money is positively charged with gratitude and it is earned and spent on things that make you and others happy, such as service, helping someone, investing in a business or community project, and by providing good work for your employer or clients.
4. Unhappy Money
Unhappy money is earned or spent on things that don’t make you happy, such as getting a paycheck from a job you hate, paying off debt grudgingly, or stealing it. Worry and resentment over money also leads to unhappy money.
5. Improving Your Relationship with Money
“Most people, whether they realize it or not, are already in a deeply committed, unhappy relationship with their money.”
Improving your relationship with money is the core theme of Honda’s book. He says that, “how we feel about money is what we can control. And that has more to do with our feelings about being wealthy than any real estate, stock, gold, or cryptocurrency market out there.”
6. Find Zen
Honda is called Japan’s Zen Millionaire. He is happy and content with what he has and who he is:
“I have all that I need, and I am so grateful for it all. I am grateful for the work I do, the food I eat, the car I drive, and all the money I need.”
7. Do Work You Love
“All the millionaires I’ve ever met who were also truly happy found their happiness not through money, but through doing what they love.”
8. The Ideal State of Money is Lake and Flow
The Lake represents plenty of money in reserve, and the river represents a continued influx and outflow of money. Honda recommends that you don’t want the water to become stagnant, but to be flowing in and out.
9. How to Have a Happy Flow of Money
A happy flow of money is when we donate to charity, give to friends, send a gift to someone, pay more than asked, etc. We should happily spend money on experiences and other things that matter (all while saying “thank you”).
10. Bless Others
“Whenever I spend money I whisper in my mind, ‘May this money bless you and your loved ones.'”
What a beautiful thought to have as you spend your money and create Happy Money for yourself and others.
To learn more about Ken Honda visit his website at KenHonda.com
ACTION STEP:
- Next time you spend money, say thank you!
Images in this post are licensed by Ingram Image – Stock Photo Secrets (AFF).
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