The following is a guest post by Ken Honda. Ken Honda is a best-selling self-development author, and his latest book is called “Happy Money: The Japanese Art of Making Peace with Your Money”. If you’d like to contribute a guest post to Money Q&A, be sure to check out our guest posting guidelines.
We don’t have to live in fear when it comes to money, yet most of us are living that way. It’s a lifestyle that we learned from our parents and grandparents, but there is another way to live – especially around money. When we feel more relaxed about money, we feel more at ease about the future, and when we feel confident about the future, we live more joyfully.
Clearing the Financial Fog
Fearing an unknown financial future can feel like walking through a dense fog, not knowing what you might bump into. When we change our relationship to money in the present, though, we gain mental and emotional confidence to clear the fog and trust that our financial future will work out just fine.
But where do we start? How can we go from a fearful “unhappy money” reality to a stress-free “happy money” way of being?
As simplistic as it may seem, it all starts with appreciation. Here’s how it works.
3 Steps to Your “Happy Money” Life
1. Any time you receive money – whether it’s your paycheck, a gift from a loved one, a prize or scholarship, or even a dollar you find on the street – consciously and sincerely express gratitude and appreciation. Practice the art of receiving money, gratefully and gracefully, without resentment or hesitation.
2. Be grateful for what you have. It’s human nature to constantly look for what’s next, what more we want or need, and what we don’t currently have. If you’re looking to reduce money stress in your life, though, focusing on the goodness and abundance all around you is key!
Take the time to focus on having enough. Noticing that you have plenty to survive leaves room in your mind and heart for you to begin to thrive. It’s hard to thrive from a place of worry while you’re focusing on lack, so focus on knowing you have what you need to live, and you will naturally begin to relax around the money that is in your life and invite more abundance to flow to you.
3. Give generously and joyfully. From paying your bills, to paying a repair person who has come to your home, to paying for your groceries, to buying a present for a friend, being in the flow of happy money not only means happily receiving money and being with the money you have; it also means happily letting the money flow from you when the time is right.
Think about the world economy. People buy and sell goods each and every day, year after year. It is only when the flow of buying and selling slows or stops that the economy suffers; when the flow of buying and selling is smooth and constant, the economy thrives.
Your life is your own mini economy! If you want your“economy” to thrive, celebrate as money comes in and goes out. This means you are a part of a healthy money flow – and to make sure it’s a happy money flow, participate willingly and gratefully.
Does “Happy Money” Really Make a Difference?
In short, yes, absolutely. Happy money doesn’t mean having a certain amount of money or income; it means being at peace with the money you have, which in turn creates more happy money experiences and opportunities in your life.
Think about it like this: Are you more likely to enjoy your day if you are not worrying about money? Of course! And if you are enjoying your day, are you more likely to have pleasant interactions with those around you? Yes! And if you have more pleasant interactions with those around you, are you more likely to encounter new opportunities than if you were stressed, worried, and withdrawn? Definitely.
You can begin to create a relaxed and happy financial future today by changing the way you interact with money. Stress less, enjoy more, and naturally attract more happy money, happy moments, and happy people into your life.
What about you? Do you have money stress? How do you cope and remain resilient?
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About: Money and happiness expert Ken Honda is a best-selling self-development author in Japan, with book sales surpassing seven million copies since 2001. His latest book is called “Happy Money: The Japanese Art of Making Peace with Your Money” (June 4, 2019, Simon & Schuster). Learn more at KenHonda.com.
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