Do What You Love & Make Money Your Friend With Ken Honda

Welcome to the Conscious Pivot Podcast with international speaker, business mentor, best selling author of Pivot, and your host, Adam Markell. The Conscious Pivot shares the stories and wisdom of people who have successfully reinvented some area of their business and personal life. You'll gain powerful insights into how you can fully embrace new opportunities, increase your performance, and master the art and science of innovation and resilience. So please join Adam as he guides you on your Conscious Pivot.

Hey, everybody. Welcome back to another episode of the Conscious Pivot podcast. I'm your host, Adam Markell, and I feel really very fortunate, blessed in fact, to be here with you right now. It's toward the end of a beautiful day, actually. It's been chilly in Southern California, so kind of an unusual thing for it to be chilly here. And I always feel a little wimpy saying that since I'm from the east coast and I know what real chill, what real chill feels like, and this is not it. But in any event, it's been a beautiful day and I've had so many great conversations with people, you know, sometimes that just that alone doesn't, you know, even if I haven't been that much, done that much in business, I've had a productive day, but not typical. You know, I haven't gotten some of the things that I had wanted to do done today while wanted to do some writing, for example, and I didn't get to do that. But I've had incredible conversations with people and I don't know that there's anything more important than that. It's the most fundamental thing to me. And I think we all believe this and maybe we don't always live this way, but we certainly believe it on the inside that we crave connection. That's the most important thing that we can do, is to connect to our higher selves, to connect to our authentic selves, and to connect to other of our divine beings, the reflections of ourselves in other people, our brothers and sisters. So I feel so lucky to have been able to do that and yet can do it now, even with a brother, a friend, somebody that I've known for several years now. We met at a TLC Transformational Leadership Council retreat some time ago. And this gentleman is just, he's a class act. He's an amazing man. He's an amazing father. I get to meet and get to know his daughter as well, who's just talk about a divine reflection. She is a divine reflection of Ken and his wife. And you're going to get to meet Ken Honda in just a moment. Ken is in Japan as we speak.

So.

So talk about connection across thousands and thousands of miles of ocean and through technology, we get to be here together. And wherever you are right now consuming this content, whether you're at work or in the car, walking, running on the treadmill or whatever you're doing, I'd invite you to take a deep breath and slow up for just a few minutes and enjoy this time. Well look, we're going to enjoy together, Ken and I, we're going to have a conversation and enjoy our time together and we invite you to be a part of that. So I'm going to breathe more deeply and more slowly, more consciously now in this moment to feel so grateful and cultivate that feeling of gratitude right here, right now in my body, in the present with a good friend. And I'm going to share a little bit about this good friend of mine, Ken, in just a moment. And when I'm done sharing his bio, I'm going to ask Ken, as you guys know, I'm apt to do for Ken, to share a little bit about what's not written bio that's important about him. So. Ken Honda began his career as a successful business consultant and an investor. He retired at the young age of 29, that is young for sure. And spent the next four years raising his newborn daughter. During this time, Ken had a vision of becoming an author and picked up his pen and with a newfound passion began to write. He would soon find himself traveling around the country to speak about money and happiness and your life's purpose in finding your gifts to audiences of more than a thousand people at a time. Since 2014, he has been speaking on the world stage and has started writing his first major works in English. His popular weekly podcast, Ken Honda's life advice column, Dear Ken, recently celebrated receiving more than 30 million downloads on iTunes. With more than 110 books written to date. His major best selling series such as the millionaire's philosophy for a Happy Life and 17 Things to Do in your 20s. They have all helped Ken sell more than 7 million books across across Japan. Ken signed contract recently with Simon and Schuster, which is our publishing house as well for his first English book that is due out soon. So without further ado, Ken, thank you so much and welcome to the Conscious Pivot podcast.

Thank you Adam. And hello everybody. I'm so, so honored to be here. By the way, I'm calling from the future. It's 9:18 tomorrow morning, your time.

Exactly. This is, this is one of those moments where you can See how time and space just collapse. Right.

And become interesting. Yeah. When I use my computer in the United States, when I think something in my document, it says tomorrow. You know, when I say something, it's kind of interesting how the time works. But thanks to the technology, you know, I can almost touch you.

Adam, we're living in a sci fi movie from the time when you and I grew up. This was stuff for sci fi, for comic books, Right?

That's so true. And thank you for sharing your time with me.

Wonderful, Ken. So you have a. You have an incredibly impressive bio. You've done a lot of amazing things in your life and in a short, short period, too, because you're a young man. What's not written in this bio that you would love people to know about you?

Probably happy husband, happy father. Even though my daughter is going to turn 20 soon this May. So I retired from my baby girl, but getting kicked out of my career as a father.

Oh, I know Hannah. And she will never, never kick you out of that career. So.

So I think probably I'll write more books because I get lonely.

Yeah, you have a job for life, so. Well, Ken, if you would share anything at all that you'd like to about where your business began or where your. Your personal pivot or your business pivot started, and we can track and see, you know, see where that conversation leads.

I was a very unique student in college, and I wanted to be an entrepreneur. So I started my business consulting mostly and accounting when I was about 22. And then I retired at the age 29, which is kind of early because my investment did well, and so I could retire young. When we found out that my.

Can you hear me, Ken? Ken, can you hear me? Yeah.

How's that?

Okay, you know what? Just go right ahead and start right over and we'll. We'll edit in that spot because for some reason, the Internet must have cut out or something.

Okay. Yes.

Okay.

So when we found out my wife was pregnant, we decided to take a year or two off. And then once you get retired, your thinking is slow, you speak slower. My friends were all surprised that I speak like an old man and that retirement was extended to four years. And when I was just about. I was walking in the park with my daughter, who was 2 or 3 at the time. I got this vision of writing a book, which was bizarre because I was a major law major student. I was doing accounting. Writing is not something I do, but this image kept haunting me for days. So I studied something for my friends, and I just Started giving away my 26 page booklet that I sort of made. It's just I copied them, gave away. My friends, love them. So, like I had nothing to do. So every day I staple like 10 copies, 20 copies. And I got tired of just, you know, doing staples. And my friend asked me, do you know a printer you can print like 200? Oh, that's a great idea. So I'm free from stapling, right? Then I asked a printer to come, and then I just said 200. They don't do 200. 500 is minimum. And then I asked for 500 and he said 500. 1,000 copies doesn't make much difference. It's just paper. Okay? I said 1,000. And he is a good salesman. He said 1,000. 3,000, that doesn't make a big difference. And I said, okay. So I ordered 3,000 copies of my booklet on happiness and money. And then a few weeks later, two trucks came in front of my house and started unloading stuff. And I asked him, what is it? And he said, oh, it's, I don't know, like a books. And then I got like panicked. But that was the books that I ordered. So I emptied one room out and then put all the boxes in. And I promised my wife that I'm going to get rid of the boxes in two weeks. So I went crazy giving away my booklets. And then people liked my booklets so much, so I got the bulk order of another 3,000 by the time I got rid of the first 3,000. And then I started giving away my booklets. And by the time I gave away 100,000 copies, a publisher called me that they're interested in doing a book with me.

Wow. So you gave away 100,000 copies of the book? 29 page book booklet.

Yes, which I'm also giving away now in English. So I've given away about almost 2 million copies. Now.

This, this must have. Well, what was the biggest takeaway that you. That people were saying they were getting from the book?

Because their view on money and life got totally transformed. So before then, money was like an enemy, evil enemy. But now money became their friends and they realized, wow, money can be your friends. So, you know, you can, you can make peace and let money help your life instead of like money attack your life.

Yes. So how did, how did that, the thought to write about money and happiness come to you? Because I. What I heard you say was you were retired. It was about four years. And then you were in the park and with your daughter. You had this idea very Strange that you wanted to write a book. It didn't seem like it made sense. And then you began to write. How did you. What was it that inspired you to write about that?

No, I have had great mentors. One of them is Warren Buffett of Japan. He is one of the richest investors in Japan. His name is listed in the public owner of public companies for more than 100 public companies in Japan. And somebody like that taught me what money is. So I was very lucky because I could retire very young. But one time in the park, I spent almost all day in the park when it was sunny. So there was this young mother who was just dragging her daughter and she was saying, you know, your mom got to work, so you have to come with me. And she was crying, she wants to play more. And I felt so, so much pain because of the work and money. They cannot really have a great moment. So if she had more knowledge about money and work, she could just be there as long as they wanted. And then I got this inspiration. Maybe if I could share my ideas about money and work, they can achieve the ideal life, which wasn't so easy. But at the time I thought, that's a great idea.

Yes. So you sat down. This is some time ago, so maybe I don't know if you remember exactly what you did, but do you remember how you began?

Yeah. So I just sat down and wrote one of the things I wanted to share with the world. And that is the real key to happiness is knowing who you are. Most of us are so lost in everyday life, so. Well, we don't know why we are born on this planet and we don't know what we are good at and we don't know what we're supposed to do. So if you know who you are and what you're supposed to do, at least you're happy. Even though you may not have money, but happiness is guaranteed. And so what can you do to find who you are? And my answer is do what you love in doing what you love. Because I've discovered over the last 20 years, in your gift you're born with, there's also a greatness, great seed to make you financially independent to. So if you do what you love, you're likely to succeed at least a few times more than doing the work you don't.

Like.

Like Adam, you used to work as a lawyer, right? And you must be very good at it. But some somewhere your heart was not there anymore, right?

No, my heart wasn't. At a certain point, I think that's a That's a big thing for a lot of people, is that they start out in something. Usually they're doing it because they don't know what else to do at the time. And they still have to pay their.

Right.

They still have to pay the food and the rent and car and all that thing. And before you know it, you blink, you close your eyes and open them again, and it's five years. You close your eyes and open them again, and it's 10 years go by, and then people find themselves in a career or in a job or situation that they don't love and they don't know what to do about it. I think a lot of the people that are part of our community, this pivot community, are many people who are reinventing themselves, they're reinventing their businesses, if they're entrepreneurs or their careers, if they're employees, to find something more that will bring them the happiness that you are speaking about.

Yeah, So I think 95% is identical here. You know, most of us want to find meaning at the same time, make a living, you know, making a comfortable living. Not super rich, but comfortable enough to send their kids to whatever the university is or not. A gorgeous life. You know, you don't have. You don't have to have like four houses, but do what you love and still support your family financially. And that is a baseline. And. And then after about writing my first book, I kept on writing. My second book is Money iq. Money iq. And the third one is doing what you love and money, money will follow and that kind of thing. So I have done so many books on supporting people financially by doing what they love, and in the process, people find happiness and money.

I think there's a lot of people, too, that will resonate with what you said about wanting to. The way you began your book was to say, or to ask the question, what do I want to share with the world? Or what's my. What's the message that I want to convey to the world? There's a lot of people that have a book inside them and know it. They know there's something they actually would like to share and even write, but have not been able to get started on that. So you've got 110. You've done 110 books as an author, but you're also a publisher as well, is that right?

I'm not a publisher, but I work with four or five major publishers here. So.

For the people out there that are wanting to start but didn't know how to start, don't know how to start and have never been able to get started. What advice? Because that was a significant pivot for you to come out of retirement to decide, I'm no longer. At one point you must have decided, I'm no longer retired. When was that? When. When the publisher came to you and said, I want to. I want to publish your book. When did you officially go, I'm no longer retired?

I had a dream. It's a weird dream. My daughter was like two or three at the time, but she was a teenager with very rebellious attitude. And then she's telling me that you may have money, but where's your soul? And then I woke up and that.

Was a very.

Real dream. And then I realized if I just kept on doing as just an investor and not doing anything to help people, I think I'd be probably embarrassed to talk about my work to my daughter. And then I thought, I want to do something to help people, help the world. And at least my daughter can be proud of me. That was probably like a pivot point for me. So respect from my daughter and also my wife, which I always have, is a big deal for me. Yes.

Well, it's so interesting how many similarities there are in between all of us. And you and I have. Have something in common as well. Because when I decided that I wanted to write a book, it was interesting. My dad is an author. He's a fiction writer. You know, it's. I grew up in a house with my dad typing, you know, and a typewriter and listening to music at night because he had a full time job in the day and would and would be writing at night, typing and editing and mostly editing, tons and tons of editing, as you know. And I never considered myself I would ever be a writer of any kind because that was his thing and I was going to do my thing. And I think a lot of times that's what we do is we decide either, you know, we're going to be very different than our parents for whatever reasons, you know, or we're going to be similar to them. And I had decided I was going to go my own way and. But at a certain point I realized that the things I'd been learning that were really pivotal in my life were things I wanted to share with our kids. So I started writing something that would be a guide for the kids. So for Chelsea, you got to meet Chelsea, our oldest. So I wanted to write a book for Chelsea and for her siblings, Lindsay and Max and Eden. And it began that way. And then at a certain Point. My daughter, who was not two and a half like Hannah was. When you started writing, Chelsea came into my room one day and she said, dad, I think what you're doing is great, but I also think it's bigger than us. It's what you're doing and what you want to share is more for other, you know, like for the rest of the world as well as for us. And that really caught me by surprise. And the whole. The focus of what I was doing, the writing for had changed like that.

Wow. I think we all learn from our kids.

That's true. Exactly.

Teachers and mentors who set lights on our life.

Yeah. Well, they shine. You know, it's important that, that we have something that reflects back the truth. Because when we look in the mirror, when we see ourselves, we don't always see the truth. We see things that are a product of our, the self image that we've cultivated. And much of that is thoughts and programming from other people. It's not necessarily the truth, but your kids, out of the mouths of babes, I think, is the expression.

Right.

They say things that are very truthful.

Yes, I totally agree with you. Kids are the lie busters.

They're the lie busters.

They can detect parents lie in two seconds. So whenever my daughter says, do you have a moment? I get nervous.

Oh, boy.

At the same time, it's a great learning experience for me.

Yeah. If our kids ever say to me, hey, dad, I'd like to give you some feedback, then I get pretty nervous. I remember sitting at the dinner table several times when one or more of our kids would say to me, dad, stop training me. Don't be a trainer at home. Do that in a seminar. But, you know, let us have dinner. Dinner.

That indicates you're such a great father. Because if you're really a trainer, they cannot say anything to you. So it's nice to hear.

Yes, Beautiful to hear. Beautiful. For sure. So you began down this road of. Well, you changed your life. You came out of retirement, you started writing. I think what's significant there is the way that you began, which was that it was an offering. The. You were making an offering to people in your, you know, in your community. You wanted to share this information with them. So it didn't have to start out with, I'm going to be a best selling author or I'm going to sell a lot of copies or I'm going to get rich or anything like that. It was really came from a place of service.

Yes. You know, I had the whole 20 year experience of mine, an experiment. If one man decides that he's going to change the world, how far he can go. So this has been my personal or my wife's experiment that how one, one person or one couple can impact the world. So I wanted to donate US$1 million to charity, but instead I thought of printing, you know, my books and just gave away. So I gave away 2 million copies and it cost about a dollar or two to print. And shipping was also free. So I spent about probably US$2 million for gift. So I wanted to show the world how serving is the best way to financial independence. So I was already financial independent when I studied, but just calculated, you know, I gave away $2 million at the beginning, but I sold almost 8 million copies now. So I made more money like a few times over, you know, after giving away. Yes, giving away and sharing and offering the best way to abundance and going to the world. And it's fun.

And it's fun too. You know, it's such an interesting thing. The, the, the idea that we, there's a return that, that, that comes from giving, but you can't give with the expectation of a return. Right. That's, that's the part that is, has to come from a pure, a place of purity. Whether it's pure heart.

There's a testing moment. At one time all the cost of shipping unprinted reached like something like US$80,000 a month. And then at the rate of its going, I thought I was going to go bankrupt, but I thought, okay, I'll just, you know, keep going all the way till I go bankrupt and let the tabloid write about me like a happy guy. Went bankrupt by giving it all away. Yeah. Yeah. But what's interesting is that people started to donate money and the company I invested went public and somehow the money just kept flowing, so.

Yes, exactly. Yeah. There's a beautiful description of this principle in the Bible. And I'm not a, I'm not really a religious person. Very spiritual and I love the Bible for spiritual inspiration. I mean as, as, as books go for that, it's a, it's a pretty good one. I love the, the story of how in the desert after the Exodus, after Moses leads the Jews out of Israel and they're in the desert. There's, you know, there's a statement that enough will be provided. You know, the mana will be there. So don't hoard it, don't save it, because there'll be enough. They'll always be what you require. And that is very much a philosophy or a belief system around abundance that many people do not have, that it will be. Know that what is required will be provided. So people, you know, they hoard so much for six lifetimes, whether it's money or it's. Or it's houses, cars, whatever it is. But in that beautiful story in the Bible, the people who decided to not listen to that advice and they instead hoarded the manna for the next day or for five days later, they became poisoned. It became. There became a pestilence because there would be enough. And then they hoarded, and it turned. You know, it turned bad. So that's a wonderful. It's a wonderful lesson and something I think everybody has to check in for themselves. How much do they really require and what's it for? We know none of it goes with us. You can't take any of it with you.

So I agree 100%.

Yeah. Ken, today, what is something. Or, you know, to me, the pivoting is never. You never pivot once in your life? In my life, career, or personal things. It's sort of an ongoing thing. What's the next pivot look like for you? Right now? I know you're doing a book in English as an example.

I think Janet Atwood, she's a creator of Passion Test, she came to Japan and she said, ken, you have to go international. And I asked her, what. What. What do you mean? And she said, you. You're just doing so many work in Japanese and why don't you go outside? And I said, I'm happy. You know, what sort of expression? I'm a happy camper in Japan, so I don't like flying around, and I want to spend as much time as possible with my family because she's gonna leave us anytime soon. And Janet said, the world is bigger than you think. And that was the moment of a new, I think, probably like a pivot in terms of taking my work internationally. And I never thought of even doing that. I was very happy.

Yes.

Yes.

So what does it look like for your work to be taken internationally now?

So after joining TLC meeting, which I met Adam and all the great people I admire, I got this idea. The work I teach is universal because all of us spend money and all of us struggle with work, with families, and with couples, with friends, and most of us are lost, too. So by helping other people, I feel this is my path too. So I can help somebody in Africa, somebody in China, which I'm going next month, and India and Europe and America, because we all deal with money. And what I discovered is that there are two kinds of money in the world, Love money and fear money. And there's a flow of love money, which is like a 10 year old boy giving a string of rose to his mother on Mother's Day. That's love money. And you know, poor family donates little money to the other poor people. That's love money. And the fear money is that when you spend it, you kind of know it because you feel so scared. And when you want to spend it, it's also scary too. So my mission is to create a flow of happy, loving money in the world.

Beautiful. So, Ken, I would love it. You know, there's a lot of people that are listening or watching this podcast who, they understand very much the feeling of scarcity and they also have had experiences of abundance as well. But more often than not, I think people lean, they lean on scarcity, they lean back. Especially when things know, when there's some uncertainty or they don't know how things are going to turn out with a business or with something. So do you have some, some suggestions or some distinctions between what represents scarcity, mindset around money and what represents abundance mindset around money.

Right. You know, money has nothing to do with it. It's more of your trust issues with your life. So when you worry about money, it's not the money, it's your future that you worry about. In your future, the work may not do well or certain things may not go as well as you imagine. So it's nothing to do with money. So it's more of like trust issues. So I teach people how to trust yourself and others more. By doing that, I think your worries and anger and frustration and money is gone. So if you start worrying and feel scarcity in your life, that's nothing to do with money. Money is not guilty. So I just want everybody to let go of money. You know they're not guilty.

Right. Money is not the culprit.

Yes, yes.

It all comes back to whether, whether you yourself are trusting of yourself and of the universe or whether you believe, you know, perhaps there's, you may have guilt or feelings that you're going to be punished or that somehow there's bad karma or some other thing that's in play as well.

Yes. But money could be a great teacher because it brings up the best and the worst in you.

It's a magnifier of sorts. Right.

So when you just.

Yes.

So it just magnifies what you, who you are. So it's, it gives you a good lesson. And that's the only thing that functions. So if you clear emotionally, that is a good start. And my mentor, Wahe Takeda, who is called Warren Buffett of Japan, said, there's only one thing you need to know about money. And I asked him, what is it? Just appreciate the money as a person. So when the money comes in, you say, arigatou, thank you for coming in. And when the money leaves your life, also say, thank you for staying with me. Even though it was a short visit, I really enjoy being you and being with you. So if you start appreciating when it comes in, when it leaves, you choose to live in the cycle of happy trust in money.

So your mentor equated the relationship with money to relationship with people?

Yes, because nobody wants to be controlled. Because usually what people do is when the money comes in, they just hang on to it. No, and don't leave me. It's usually a bad thing to do in a relationship.

Well, similar to what we spoke about with, with hoarding the mana, Right. It's like when you, you hang on to it that way. You're coming from this place of need and of neediness. Nobody wants to be around anybody that feels that person's neediness.

Yes. So I think people so afraid. That's why we are also afraid with money too, because money, we think money brings you security. The real security is in relationships. So I teach people, when I do a big seminar, I ask people, how many of you have friends who can let you stay for more than a week? Pretty much everybody raises his or her hand. And how many friends do you have? And some people have three, some people have like hundreds of friends. And if you have more than 50 friends who would let you stay with them for free, you are financially free, because after about a year, you come back to friend number one. I mean, that's the key. And I have many friends who are already successful who are willing to help me. So I'm not worried about anything because they're going to take care of me. So it's a relationship that you create, it's not how much money you have. So even though I lose everything with lawsuit or whatever, I'm not worried because I can write a book on 17 Things I Learned from bankruptcy, you know, how to enjoy your life through bankruptcy or stuff like that. And also I can have so many friends help me out. So if you know that all the people around you are willing to help you out, you don't have to worry about a thing.

Well, you're bringing up A really important point, Ken, and I don't know that we'll. We'll be able to spend a lot of time digging into this one. But relationships are at the root of this challenge that we're talking about then. Or at the root of solution. Forget the challenge. Relationship is not something that everybody's very, very good at.

Yeah. You are so incredible teachers, both of you. I so admire you as a couple. That's. You have a beautiful relationship. I always think it's so great.

Oh, thank you, Ken. You know, Randy and I, we found this love to teach or to share, I should say, more importantly, to just share what we've experienced in the area of relationship, our relationship, and relationships with our kids and that. And we've enjoyed just sharing that information with people, and it's been fun. And it's an ongoing. It's an ongoing learning for us, for sure. We've had teenagers. Our teenagers are now. We have two older daughters that are in their 20s and still have two teenagers, teenage daughter, 17, a son who's 19. And, you know, I think we've come through the hardest parts of it.

We got a rocky place.

We got out of the rockiest spots. Yeah. So I guess.

I think whoever the president is, he or she should give you a medal. Well, not only in the US to keep family close and happy, I think that's a. Worth a medal.

Well, with a divorce rate that's, you know, above 50% still, which is a very high rate. Relationship. Relationships are something that. I think it would make sense that we were teaching and working with kids earlier on in their lives. More of a curriculum that would be suited to elementary school, early education. But wherever we're at, there's no question that we have to work at relationships. It's not something that we just take for granted or you do in your sleep. We have to be very conscious and intentional about what we do to care for people. And what I'm hearing you say is that if we think of money as something similar to a relationship we have with a person, and we care for it, we respect it, we honor it, we are grateful for it, we say goodbye to it. But even when we say goodbye to it, it's done with love, with respect. These are good. This is a very different way to frame what money means and what it is, as opposed to the way, I think a lot of people have been brought up to see money or experience money as something that's lacking, missing that. We struggle for that, we work hard for that, we sacrifice for that. We give away the best years of our life for, you know, that we lose, that people take or steal from us. You know, there's a lot of mixed other things that are mixed in on the emotional level with that topic of money. So really think that reframing it, framing it the way you have and the way your mentor shared with you, that's very, very different. It's beautiful.

Yeah. I think North American people and European people would really benefit from what I learned, because it's a mixture of Zen and very esoteric tradition of Japan that we believe in, that there are 8 million gods we believe in. There is God in each one of little things, even if it's an object. So that's an interesting concept. So we treat money as a friend, so that is the best way of doing it. So, you know, I recommend everybody. It doesn't cost a penny. When the money comes in, say arigato or thank you, arigato. And when the money leaves you, when you spend it, credit card or cash, whatever, you also say thank you, arigato. And then you feel good either ways when it comes in, when it leaves. And then what's interesting is that your income is. Grows, you know, Try that. It's a fun experiment, you know, and you don't. You're not gonna lose anything. You just feel happier.

Yes. Well, I, for one, can't wait for your book to come out. I think it's gonna be a great way to have this conversation similar to the one we're having right now. But I assume the book will. Will deal with a lot of the same topics and more, so.

Yeah. Yes. So I'm just struggling every day to.

Get the book written.

I never had a English education, so I learned by. By radio. So, you know, this is a bigger struggle, so. But this, like, doing it is more fun than struggle, so.

So are you writing it in Japanese and then translating it to English, or are you actually writing it in English?

I'm writing in English, I'm embarrassed to say, but every line, my editor corrects something very humble.

Well, I know already you're a very humble man and in the best ways because you're just gentle and a good soul. I don't know you that long. We know each other just a couple of years. But you are a good soul, and I respect you, and I think you're doing wonderful things. You've done wonderful things. You continue to do wonderful things in the world, Ken, and so thank you for that.

Thank you so much. I'm so enjoying every minute of it, you know, I'm not. I would do the same even if I don't get paid at all. Yeah. So I'm thinking most of the work I do, I'm going to do it for free because when I teach happy money concept to people, I don't feel like charging people. You know, I'm already financially independent, so gonna create many online courses and movies. I'm thinking of making everything for free so every. Anybody can access.

Beautiful. Amazing. Well, I mean, this is what I love about the podcast world as well, is that this is free content. So we're all spending time doing this and we work at it and spend time and put our love and our energy into it and put it out there into the world with no, no strings attached, no financial exchange, no quid pro quo, you know, from my, my lawyer days, none of that. So it does. It feels wonderful. And I have enjoyed our conversation so much. Ken, with a couple of minutes we have left, would you share? Is there a ritual or a practice that you have that helps you to stay, you know, being the best that. That. That you want to be?

So we believe in secret good, doing good. I don't know. I can already say it, right? So whenever I meet somebody, I secretly say in my mind that all the great things will happen to this person from now and he or she will be blessed so much. And then when I, before I go to sleep, I think, think about those people I met or I interacted or I imagine readers of my book, there are usually a few thousand every day. So I imagine young one, old one, and the one happy ones and not so unhappy ones and just I pray that every. Their life will turn out good for them. So that's what I do. But those things are very secretive, so I usually don't tell. But that is something I recommend if you feel like doing it, it's more fun. And that brings you peace of mind too.

Indeed, indeed. Ken, thank you again. Thank you for being here. And for those of you that are watching, of course, you got to see Ken today and it's available on YouTube. And if you're listening to the podcast, thank you so much for doing that. If you haven't subscribed yet, you can go to AdamMarkel.com and subscribe. And please also leave a review on itunes. We love the reviews. We love the feedback. We also have an incredible community that is expanding pivoters, people who are reinventing themselves, reinventing their personal and business lives in so many ways. And you can get access to that on Facebook by going to Start my Pivot Facebook community. The Start my Pivot community. Or go to pivotfb.com which is the shortcut to that front door. And as we close out today's session, of course, we're not ending anything. We're just beginning. I get to do something that really gives me great pleasure and fills my heart with a lot of love, and that is to wave my magic wand as I get to end our podcast today with a wish, with hope, and with a prayer. And that prayer is that, Ken, that you and I and everybody that is out there in this moment will wake up. So everybody that is watching this, listening to this now that you wake up tomorrow, just like today, we all had the blessing of being, of having a new day, of waking up to a new day. None of us are guaranteed that tomorrow. So when you do realize that you are taking that first conscious breath, breath, that first aware breath of the day tomorrow, recognize that there are people in that very moment who are taking their last breath, and that makes that moment sacred. And there are babies being born that are also taking their very first breath of life. And so it is a holy moment that that happens. And for you in that moment, as for me, recognizing that means we're a little bit more conscious and we can be grateful for that. So part one is that we wake up. We're all going to do that tomorrow. Okay? All of us. Part two is that we're going to cultivate some feelings of gratitude in that moment. And the last part, the third part, if you feel like doing this from your bed or when your feet hit the floor, that you can declare out loud these words, I love my life. I love my life. I love my life. I wish you all a beautiful, blessed rest of your morning or your evening, or wherever else in the day you might be. And we'll see you very soon. Ciao for now, everyone.

Thanks for listening, everyone. We hope you now have the tools and greater insights to navigate your own pivot. Help us inspire others by sharing this episode and leaving your comments over@admarkkel.com podcasts for more tips, strategies, and support as you consciously pivot into a new business and lifestyle you love. Join our Pivot community on facebook@pivotfb.com.