Lately I’ve been ruminating on and cultivating healing in all areas of my life. This includes my relationship with money and my mindset surrounding the topics of wealth and abundance ;)

How perfect, then, when I heard about Happy Money by Ken Honda! He’s been called “Japan’s bestselling Zen millionaire,” and he’s got some incredible pearls of wisdom in this book. I’m a big fan, and can confidently say that this is the best book I’ve had the chance to review this year on Alive in the Fire.

Here are some of my favorite moments in the book…

Of course! Of course money is energy! …I began thinking about my own feelings and the energy I pass along to others when I use money. I stood there for a few seconds and I realized: There are so many emotions wrapped up in our money! (page xv)

^^Insert ‘mind blown’ emoji. ;) That was pretty much my reaction when I read that part of the introduction. Money is energy. YES! I love that and can relate to it fully.

The Myth of Scarcity

People everywhere in the world feel they are not treated fairly. Many of us believe that it’s a zero-sum game. If someone else has something, then we can’t have it. We believe that if others have a lot of money, they are automatically depriving us of our money. We attach a lot of negative emotions to money when we think of it this way… We operate out of fear, jealousy, and greed. We take what we can get, whenever we can get it, and we don’t think about how it affects others or the greater good. But this way of thinking never serves us for very long. Because when we do get what we want, it’s still never enough. Because there is always going to be something bigger, better, and more desirable out there, and if we don’t have that either, we’ll be missing out. (page 22)

^^I love this so much. This sums up a lot of observations I’ve seen in modern American culture and why I have adopted a minimalist attitude when it comes to buying things and doing my best not to accumulate stuff I don’t need.

Rooting Through Our Emotional Garbage Related to Money

Do you like money? Does money like you too? What stories do you tell yourself about money? …By checking whatever feeling you project onto money, you can recognize your own emotional baggage. If you can do that, you can see money clearly. Why is this so difficult? Because getting to that place takes a lot of understanding and introspection. It means digging deep and figuring out what your own beliefs about money are, understanding how you developed those beliefs, and ultimately discovering what money means to you. (page 26)

^^Currently in the process of doing this. ;) Couldn’t be more excited that this book gave me the inspiration to do this powerful work!

Those are just a few quotes from the book that I love. A few other concepts I’m thrilled to bring into my awareness and my daily life:

Conscious spending: the result is you never feel like your money is wasted.
Increasing money means finding a purpose that you believe in from the heart and then aiding that purpose with money.
Trusting the money flow: even when your supply of money is low, confidence and self-esteem lead to the heart of abundance.

These concepts are yogic! And so beautiful!

Thank you, Ken, for this incredible gift to this world, this book. I’ll be reading it over for years to come, and recommending it to friends, family and colleagues.

Happy Money goes on sale on Tuesday, June 4th, 2019. I highly recommend picking up your copy… this is the kind of book that will change your life and your mindset around money. It has for me, and I’m incredibly grateful. ;)

Namaste, my friends.

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