The 3 Keys to Building Your Wealth w/ Ken Honda EP 1331

If you can control this greed in you that I need to have more, it's almost like you're brainwashed by marketing techniques.

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Welcome back, everyone, to School of Grayness. Very excited about our guest. We have the inspiring Ken Honda in the house. Good to see you, Ken.

Thank you, Louis. I'm so happy to be invited to this show and in real situation.

Yes, in person, in life.

We did it on Zoom.

I know, we did our first interview on Zoom and our community loved it and they wanted more.

That's great.

I'm excited to have you back on. You have written a book, you have written many books, over 8 million copies of your books sold around the world. It's incredible. Your book that I love is called Happy Money, the Japanese Art of Making Peace With youh Money.

Yes.

This is gonna be a book that everyone's gonna wanna read. But to dive into it first, I feel like a lot of people are afraid of money. A majority of people have fears, anxiety, stress, worry, their relationships struggle because of money and intimate relationships. And you teach people about how to have peace with money. Knowing that money comes and goes, it flows. And to be okay with that process of life. And one of the things I want to start with is, do you have an affirmation that you can give people or that we could work on together to support people whenever they feel stress around money, that they can say this affirmation that will give them more peace? Do you have anything?

Yeah, it sounds like money is love. Money is my friend. Money can help me achieve my dreams. So whatever positive affirmations you can come up with, I think anything is good. But I think money is my best friend is a good affirmation. When you worry about money, I would say money is love. So when you think in my head money is love, instead of money is a scary person, I think you feel a lot less stress.

But how does someone, if they have lived in stress around money for their whole life, their entire life they have been afraid, how can they start to use that affirmation and how long will it take for them to start to believe it, to feel it?

-So, I think you have to.

Look.

Back on your relationship with money since you are five or six. We wake up to the reality of the world When we were around five, six, seven, I used to be a volunteer at my daughter's kindergarten. And I asked one of the boys at the kindergarten, what are you going to get for Christmas? And he said, no, Santa Claus is not coming. And I thought, oh, why is that? And he said, Because my parents are poor.

Interesting.

Whoa, really? Who told you that? And he said, My mom.

Wow.

So, like, we were waking up to the reality when we were small. And then since then, we've had so many negative messages around money. So I have a fun collection of saying when I visited Europe a few weeks ago. There's all the things that we were told since we are five or six, money, they don't grow on trees in America, right? If you don't have money, you don't have a head. You know, that's a scary thing.

Sure.

So all those phrases. keep telling us that money is not a happy thing. But when you start thinking, you must have some fun memories too around money. You know, a certain gift that you're so happy to receive, and the scholarship or the happy money that you get from your grandparents or your parents or friends, you know, they buy you for Christmas gift or birthday present. There are so much happy money in your life. But you forget because we are so overwhelmed by the stress around money.

Right, yeah, maybe there was a trip you went on with a friend or family, you went on an adventure, and that money provided that memory, that experience for you.

Right, it was worth the money, right? That's a happy saying.

Yes.

So there are many positive sayings around money as well.

And you grew up in Japan, is that right? And so in Japan, are people just as anxious and stressed about money as they are in America, or is there a different, belief around it.

Yes, we have different kind of stress, you know, because it's so interesting. In North America, when say you're college buddies, right? After 20 years of graduation, you bump into one another, and you don't ask each other how much do you make a year?

Not in US now.

No, right? And in Japan, we casually talk about it.

You talk about how much you make. Yes. Really?

But in North America, I think you're gonna lose a friend Right. If you bring that question.

Why do you in Japan, do people in the culture talk about money and how much someone makes more frequently?

Because I think how much you make is not as tied up with how much your worth is. But in North America, it seems culturally, it's nothing wrong, but how much you have or how much you make equals how much you're worth. so it's more taboo here. But it's interesting is like when you grab your Japanese friend and then ask him how many times you have sex, he's going to freak out.

But in America, people might talk about it more.

Right, they will probably enjoy talking about it, right? So I think there's a different kind of taboos.

That's interesting.

Which I really enjoy so much.

That's interesting. Now, with the culture of people just talking about it more openly with their friends or family, what does that do for the culture then around money? Does it make it less scary? Does it make it more effortless for people to work? What is that like?

And in China too, you know, people casually ask you how much you make or how much money you have or how much strangers too or just friends. Yeah, and also friends. And also like how much is the rent or how much does this condo cost? you know, like, what's the weather today? You know, the Siri would answer you, right? So it's as easy as that. So in a culture like that, people are more open and they can confront themselves about what's working, what's not. But in North America, everything around money is such a taboo that it seems, because I've been listening to many couples, In America, it seems like it's almost like a taboo for a couple to talk about money.

It is.

Unless something really comes up and it's like an eruption of volcano.

Sure.

But you should talk about it long before the, you know, the eruption.

So do people in relationships or married people in Japan, do they talk about money pretty frequently? Do they talk about it before they get married? You know, is there stress around money in the couples?

Of course, definitely. That's why my books are so popular in Japan. So, I mean, it's the same, but it's a kind of different stress. And in Japan, of course, you fight over money, but surprisingly, women are more in control of money. Really? Yes. I mean, probably like from American culture, guys control it. But actually, all my friends, you know, guy friends, you know, they are controlled by their housewives.

They control the money.

Right. And they're given a certain, like, allowance money.

The men?

Yes.

Are the men making the money and then giving it to the women and saying, okay, tell me what to do?

Yeah. So one time I talked with a housewife in Japan, and she said, you know, I'm afraid of money. And I'm so worthless because I'm not making money. And I ask him, But who is financing the whole thing? And it's my husband. So, you are, you know, man, you are the business owner. He is a worker. So, you get the fruits.

The woman's the business owner.

Right.

The man is the worker, as we say.

Right.

Interesting.

Yeah. And then she said, Yes, I never know that. You know, I've never known. So now I'm going to make him work harder. Everybody laugh.

Make more money for me. Yeah, yeah. Right.

So it's a different kind of stress, but it's so hard for us to really confront financial issues because we have so many emotions around money. It's universal.

I love your point where you said in North America, in America, most people tie their self-worth with their net worth.

Yes.

Right. Their bank account, how much is in there, how much they have. with how valuable they are as a human being, right? The quality of their character and how they add value in the world. But in Japan, I'm hearing you say it's less that way. It's more people don't tie how much money they have with how good of a person they are.

Yes, and also how many friends you have, not on Facebook, real friends. And also school teachers are so well respected, for example. They are not making so much money. but occupations like that are highly respected.

Really?

But here in America, it seems like there's not much respect for school teachers, which I feel so sorry about. So if you make money, you are golden in America. But there must be some kind of criteria, like how much you're contributing to the community or how much satisfaction you get out of work. Just numbers, they don't really translate into happiness.

Well, I think you see that in America where there might be a lot of people who have a lot of financial success, they have a lot of money, but their relationships are broken, their marriages are fall apart, they don't feel good about themselves, they don't have fulfillment, right? Because it's been focused just on money and not on service. How can I add value as well?

Yes.

So I think it's important to be aware that a rich life is not just about how much money you make. It's about how good you feel about yourself in your life, right?

Exactly. Exactly.

I'm curious, what do you think are some of the beliefs that hold people back from keeping them to create the wealth that they want to have, from making more money? What are some of those beliefs that says, I'm not able to do this because why?

Because we feel so unworthy for the abundance. So it doesn't really matter how much money you make or how much money you have. After paying all the bills, you don't have much money left.

Taxes, bills, everything. Right.

If you make $30,000 or $100,000 or $1 million, because the cost is going higher. Your lifestyle. Right. And you used to have one car, secondhand car. Now you need Tesla, you know, and you need second home and third home. So you really have to see how to satisfy with yourself with less. And at the same time, you can have more. So you can have more than necessary. But the food prices are going up and the gas prices are going up. So we almost like drowning in the sea of bills. And then they're just going up. And then we are drowning in that. So instead of feeling overwhelmed by the bills, you can be creative and come up with the ideas that you can contribute to the world. So by doing more contribution, you get more money. So I feel more creative about serving the world, serving other people. with your gifts, with who you are, you can create the flow of happy money. And as a result, you can receive more money. And if you can control this greed in you that I need to have more, it's almost like you're brainwashed by marketing techniques. And even though you're wealthy, you keep complaining about how much you don't have. Once I had an interview with a private jet owner. And I thought, you,'re such a big success. And he said, no, no, no, I'm just a small thing. Because when I pull over to this special in the terminal.

It's a bigger jet.

There's a lot bigger jets. Mine is so small, you know. It seats only six people. So I feel so small when I pull over with my Mercedes because they're just Rolls-Royces and all the big cars. And then I feel so small. So, you have to ask yourself, when is enough? How much is enough? That's when my Zen teaching comes in. You have to know who you are and you have to know the right money container size. I think we're born with a certain money container size.

Really? What does that mean?

And say some people are not equipped with so much money and you don't need so much money. So you can be satisfied with less. Let's say if you're a school teacher, you don't need to have three Mercedes Benz and you don't need to live in a big mansion. So if you feel like, oh, I don't need to make that much money. I know how to satisfy myself and you can do that.

I live a rich, fulfilled life with what I make.

Yes.

Yeah.

So instead of just going pursuing, wealth, you can find invisible assets, which I also teach about. I haven't really taught in English yet, but they're, you know, visible assets and invisible assets. And in fact, invisible assets are super more important than visible assets.

What are some examples of invisible assets?

Like friendship, trust, happiness, love, generosity, kindness, all the great things in life. are invisible, but yet people can feel it. You know, if you bump into somebody and if he or she is so kind, you feel it. So unfortunately, generosity and kindness are not regarded as a great thing. But I mean, in North America, I've seen news that people just, you know, do something right, and then they turn their wallets to the owner and, and, you know, their happy stories. so people still respect. Honesty is another one. So there are so many great assets that we have, but when we look at our lives, we evaluate to zero. So even though you have not much in your bank account, if you have so many friends and if you have so many people that you care about you, you're in heaven.

Yes.

But you look at your bank account and then if it's a small number, you get depressed. So you have to look at invisible assets and you should be happy.

Focus on the invisible assets as well.

Yes, because I'm sort of joking, you know, even though you don't have any money, if you have more than 50 friends who let you stay for one week.

You're rich. Yeah.

And you can spend the whole year.

Right.

By visiting your friend. And after one year, you can go back to your friend number one and say, it's been a year. How are you?

I have a great friend. His name is Jesse Itzler. And for I think at least one year, maybe two years, when he was in his early 20s, he stayed on like 10 different friends couches. He didn't have enough money to pay for rent, but he had friends that he stayed with that all of them are still his friends today.

He's in his 50s.

Yes.

30 years later and He's an extremely successful business entrepreneur now, but he had a free place when he had no money because of his generosity, his kindness, his honesty, his loveability, all those things, which are invisible assets, which turned into financial assets.

Yes. Yes. And talking about invisible assets and generosity, I so want to show my appreciation to American people. 30 years ago, 30 some years ago, I was 19. And I made up my mind to explore this kindness factor in North America. And I came here without much money and I tried to have a one-year experiment, depending on generosity of American people.

When you were 19? Yes.

And I bumped into, like, say, an old man in the park and then I asked him, Is there any restaurant that I can eat for, at the very, very, you know, no money? And he said, okay, I'll take you there. And they paid for my dinner. and if you don't have any place, why don't you stay with me? So for Hoiya in 1987, I depended on American people's generosity. And after one year, I had the same amount of bank account money, and then I could go back.

Wow.

And I've been writing, you know, my experiences as a, yeah, and it's a national bestseller as well. So America, is so generous. And I think people may not feel if because you're living here. So I really believe in American people's generosity and openness. Some people just let me stay as long as they, as long as I want it. Wow.

Yeah.

So I still feel like I owe America a lot.

That's beautiful. How many people helped you in that year?

I think probably at least 16 or 20 people.

That either paid for something or let you stay at their place place or help you in some way? Yeah.

So whenever I bump into an American young people, like, okay, I'll buy your lunch and dinner in Thailand. They're bumping to American tourists, you know, like backpackers and, okay, I'm gonna pay your lunch because somebody else in America just, they, they pay mine.

That's beautiful.

I try to pick up in a tab for Americans especially.

That's interesting because when I was in my early 20s, struggling financially. I was reaching out on LinkedIn to business leaders, mentors that I thought could help me. And a lot of them took the time to take me out to lunch and they would pay for me because I couldn't afford. And that was happened for about a year and a half where I didn't have the money to pay for my own stuff. And I really, I remember saying like feeling really bad that I couldn't pay for myself. and saying to myself, if I make money one day, I want to make sure I pay as many meals as I can with friends and things like that. So I always try to pay, it's so hard for me to let someone pay for me now at a restaurant, because I'm like, I just want to keep paying it forward.

That's beautiful.

But you never know the impact you can have on someone with a gift, you know, with a financial gift. So I want to ask you about the money container size, which I think is interesting. Do you feel like we're all born with a certain size of a container for how much money we should be able to bring in? Or does the container expand and grow based on our environments?

Yes.

On our who we grow up with, our wisdom. You talk about that. Of course.

Of course. Like say some scholars who are not interested in money at all, they focus on their research and what they can do academically. so their money container is small, but they're okay. I call them money indifferent type, by the way.

Money different?

Money indifferent.

Money indifferent.

They have a lot of money.

They don't care about money.

Yes.

Just enough to provide for their food and their house.

Yeah, so some government workers, like politicians or nurses, I see them among those occupation who are giver, who are just service people, right? And like some military people who are really into service. and then they don't really care how much they have, as long as they can make a living.

Right.

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So those people are born with small ones. And of course, by learning about business and investment, you can make your money container bigger. But there is a little bit of a difference here when you want to grow your money container. Because in North America and Europe, I often get asked by interviewers, Ken, how can I make my container bigger?

Right.

But in Japan, in the East, I get different kind of questions about money container. The question would be, Ken, how can I be satisfied with what I have instead of just trying to make it bigger? But I don't know how to do that. So can you teach me? how to satisfy myself with where I am. So it's a different approach. So you need to have both.

So how can people in America, North America and around the world be satisfied and grateful for where they are and still strive for more? Yeah.

So it's more about find 100% fulfillment with where you are and then If it's your path, it's gonna grow. If it's not your path, you don't have to make it grow. But there's almost like a religion here in North America. Bigger is better, the more is better.

Super size, yeah, everything.

Right. But think just wait a second and just think about it. Do you want a super big house if you're only two of you? If you have like seven kids, you need a big house. But if it's only two of you, maybe it's time to downsize and because so that way your lifestyle will be more humble. So you really have to know when to sort of like grow and also when to end your life. So you have to start facing, say you're in your 50s or 60s, you have 10 years to prepare according approaching to your death. but a lot of people in their 60s and 70s, they want to act forever they're 21.

Right, right.

So, but you're going to die. So you have to prepare for the end of your life. To do that, you really have to say, because your life goes up and down, right? You cannot keep climbing up the mountains. So at some point, you have to start descending. So in financial terms, you have to start spending what you have accumulated.

Don't just keep it in the bank. Yeah.

So one of the books in North America I love is Die With Zero. The concept is can you die with zero at the end of your life, which is very hard. A friend of mine whose mother died with only $7 in her bank account.

Really?

I think it's a master of money. Because she calculated how much it's gonna cost for her funeral. So she just withdrew all the money and she gave all the money to her grandkids, which is like a few hundred dollars. No, she's not a wealthy person. And she died with only $7. So it's almost like she landed so beautifully.

Wow, that's beautiful. Why do you think people are so greedy? to want to make more money. And they have this greed inside of them to have to accumulate, to attract more. Why do you think that is? And what's the difference between wanting to make more money for a good reason and wanting to make more money because of greed?

Right, Luis, you keep asking me so many great questions. So I'm enjoying the interviews.

Thank you.

Yeah, I just wanted to appreciate that. Thank you. So there are many ways to react to a financial situation. I have talked about money EQ. So when we're, I realized this when I was at the conference table to file inheritance taxes for wealthy men. And here there are three, three people, their kids, right? A wife and three kids. And they're born and brought up in the same household, but the eldest son looks like a Wall Street type, no nice suit and short haircut. And the second daughter looks very humble. And the third one looks like hippie.

Sure.

Are they related? And then I realized that to financial situation, if you're worried, you might end up becoming a money maker.

If you're worried.

If you're worried.

If the responsibility is on you. Right.

So you're the older. By making more money, you try to fix the worry. And if you worry, you may want to become a spender because you feel powerful when you spend the money. So if you worry, you want to be a saver. By saving, you can feel the security. And so there will be a warrior. You do nothing, but you keep worrying. So to financial situation, there can be many different ways. and different personalities are born. So I'm fascinated with this subject because you never knew that you were a spender, you were a moneymaker. And your question comes toward moneymaker type.

Yes.

And the happy moneymaker type knows that they can contribute more, so they're in the flow of happy money. And a moneymaker type, they end up losing a lot of money.

They do.

Yeah, because they try to increase and multiply their money, which means they take more risks. So they are likely to get into scams. And I've seen so many quick money.

Quick money.

Yes. Get scammed by people who try to get the money.

Yes.

So that's life.

Sure. Yeah. What do you think is the, you know, there's so much happening with the in talks. specifically in America, with interest rates going up in America, inflation going up to over 8.5% recently, I think, you know, the housing market and just the uncertainty of the economic situation in America. What do you think people should be investing in? What types of assets for the next, you know, few years with all the uncertainty? what would be a great investment that's not a try to get rich quick investment, but something that would deliver good returns hopefully over time. Right.

So I taught this course online and like 8,000 people watched me teach this online. So I taught about financial independence and visual assets and individual visual assets. I see there is going to be a big change. It could come as a crash of Wall Street, but it's more, I think I see a bigger thing is going to come.

Like what?

Like the collapse of financial system.

Really?

Because we've printed so much money and then it's going crazy. It's out of control. So we never know what's going to happen. Nobody can predict. So, even if you are investing in bitcoins and cryptocurrency, you shut up and then down. And gold and silver is real gold coins and silver coins for not super wealthy people. I recommend that. But, you know, in 1930s, US government prohibited from owning gold. So, why? You have to, because to protect dollars. So if that kind of thing happens, even though investment in gold is good, but what if they change the law and then it could become a felony about owning gold without reporting it. So those things, real estate can be quite risky because it set up that much, it could possibly go down. at least back to 10 years or 20 years. So all the things that it got inflated could go down. So there is no safe investment. That is something you have to really know. So whatever you invest could end up in half or 30% down. So instead, I recommend people start looking at invisible assets. Because what if you lose everything overnight? If you have gold, What if the government tries to take away to pay all the bills and stuff, which is really happening in China by the way.

Really?

So if that happens, I guess you have to be prepared for unthinkable situations. But as I said, if you have so many friends who can support you financially or emotionally, you're okay. So instead of having so much money in the bank account, you should have the trust and strong connections with friends around you and also reputation with your clients. So when the next financial system sets in, we might end up using the same currency worldwide because there could be a big crash. China is falling down because of the real estate crash.

China is?

Yes. And if you Google it, you can see it. and then all the people who have to pay the mortgage for the buildings that's not even built, they started not paying for the loans. Really?

Wow.

Which is a big deal. So either way from somewhere there could be the start of the crash. So whatever happens, if you have the strong connections, with people around you, you can start over from zero.

I asked you this in our last interview. I said, okay, Ken, imagine you've lost all your money right now, and you had to make a million dollars in a year. I don't know if you remember your answer, but I asked you this, and you said, what would you do? And you said, well, I would just call my friends up and say, can you give me money? I'd call 10, 20 of my friends up and say, can you give me a hundred thousand each? or can I stand your house for free? And you would offer a service to those wealthy friends that you've created trust and invisible assets with. And sell them something new or whatever it might be. And it's because you have great relationships. That's why you could do that.

Yes.

So what I'm hearing you say, Ken, is it's important to invest in yourself, which is developing more credibility, respect, and a better reputation with your friends, your colleagues, the industry you're in, your team, things like that. So if that happens, you'll be able to get something going again.

Yeah. So in a sense, I'm having a huge deposit to people's heart. I have given away my booklet for free to 2.3 million people. So I have a list of those people that I have given away, right? And so they feel like they owe me. That's why they're buying my books and courses. So I have a huge sort of invisible asset and trust already saved up. And I've been giving away for so many things for the past 20 years. I've done lectures for free. I've done so many volunteer work for the people who are in need. So I have this reputation and trust among people. So in the next situation, so whatever happens, I can say, I'm going to talk about the next situation and how we can build our assets in the new currency system, new financial system. A lot of people want to listen to me. So I have built enough credibility. So that's why I'm not afraid of going bankrupt. Because if I go bankrupt, I can say the joy of bankruptcy. I can just say eight steps to recover from bankruptcy.

Right, you have a new book.

Right, whatever it is.

And I'll teach you how to do it.

Right, so I'm not worried about anything at all. Instead, we have to let everybody know that if something big is going to come, it's not as bad as World War II. So we can all go through this together. But we have to help one another. That is a key. So that is also a concern I have about us because our hearts are so separated because of the politics, the religion, or the scarcity mentality. So we are having less compassion toward each other. So I think for the next few years we're going to experience a lot of anxiety. and worries because of what's going on in Ukraine and everywhere. Everything we see is depressing, to be honest.

It's very depressing. Right.

But at the same time, it's not as bad as 100 years ago.

True. When everyone was starving. Yes.

Right. So we can go through this. But to do this, we have to be kind to one another. We have to show our generosity. So if you feel like you have more than enough, you have to start sharing what you have at the worst.

Time.

Which could come in years.

If you could predict, obviously no one knows, but do you think there's going to be a bigger recession or some type of crash in some way in the US economy or in the world? And when do you think that will happen?

I see, I already feel it in 2023. So, you think next year? Next year. Because a lot is going to happen with the US election and also the potential conflict in China and Taiwan and also the gas shortage and everything. And also so many tons of.

Food.

Is wheat is stopped at the port of the grain.

Really? Wow.

Which could cause a starvation in African countries. So we're going to see a lot of chaos in the next few months.

Really? Yeah.

And we're going to experience a lot of gas shortage in European countries, which they're thinking about because the gas stopped coming to Germany. So a lot of change is going to happen in the next few months.

What, for everyone listening and watching right now, what would be the next three steps they should take after listening or watching to this? around their invisible assets, their visible assets, or just the next three steps they should take in life to prepare for this. Right.

So mentally, you have to be ready to find your peace of mind so you can start counting your blessings, start appreciating what you have, and enjoy the flow of happy money. So when money comes in, you can say thank you for the money. given to me when you pay for the bills, thank you, I have enough abundance so I can pay the bills and start blessing people that you're giving money to. So by doing that, you can find your peace of mind in whatever you do. And I think that's the basic.

That's number one.

That's the base. And also secondly, you have to start figuring out your inventory. what you have and who you are.

What type of inventory?

Both emotional and also your gift. I never knew I could write until I was 33.

Really?

My parents were so surprised and my brother and sister. And many of my friends were so surprised that I became an author. And I was the one who gets surprised most, by the way. So I didn't know. until I started writing. So I'm sure they have, you have some kind of gifts buried in you. For example, Luis, you are an athlete, so definitely you knew your gift as an athlete, but probably you didn't know that you had a gift as an interviewer.

No, I had no idea.

Speaker.

Yeah, writer. I had no idea.

Right, writer, right. And also somebody who can motivate people.

Right.

You know, you use it for you. to motivate yourself. But you didn't know you can impact millions of people.

I had no idea.

Right? So like when you are young in your 30s and 40s, you never knew. And so you have to start looking at what you have.

What skills, tools that you've developed that you could use if you need them.

And you have to multiply them because only single gift is not taking you far. But if you can multiply your gifts of speaking, for example, and also listening and a sense of humor and the care, generosity. If you combine all of them, you become so unique.

Yes.

So once you become so unique, people start just coming to you because you are more attractive.

Right. Yeah. So. Okay. Okay. So that's number two is find out your inventory of your assets and your gifts. And I'm also assuming your inventory of, like, how much money you have, your investments, what you've.

But it's not so important, because if you are not making much, it's not right.

What skills do you have? Skills, yeah.

Right. So if you, net asset is less than $300,000, don't worry about investing. I think you should invest in yourself.

Invest in you.

And take your friends out for dinner, because it's going to pay more dividends.

Be generous with your energy, your time, Yes.

And then the third step would be start getting support from everybody. You know, I have say, for example, more than 10,000 people sending me money every month as a form of subscription online salon. Yes. So, and I haven't promised anything to do for them. So it's just a love money. So can, you know, which is what type of money? Love money.

Love money. So 10,000 people pay you money every month.

Yes.

Just because they love you.

Yeah, $10. That's how I feel.

Wow, are you offering them any, are you giving them any- I just say.

I had this funny interview with Lewis today, and I'm in Stockholm, I send some videos, but I'm not promising like, I do this, you know, so I give you this, so give me this. No, it's more of a casual thing. That's cool. So I have enough trust from people, so the happy money almost like is given. in my custody so I can help other people.

That's cool.

So if you start getting fan clubs or cheer supporters, so you can start with five people and you can start having 10 people, 30 people. So the next economy will be very interesting because a lot of people support one another.

Maine, where life the way it should be transforms all who encounter its spectacular landscapes. Rugged coastlines, pine-scented trails, sandy beaches, sparkling lakes, and tranquil forests inspire you to reflect and make meaningful moments. They offer endless opportunities for adventure and exploration. Whether pedaling or paddling, hiking or biking, Maine has more than enough outdoor spaces to make the most of long summer days. Relish in exquisite flavors harvested from the ocean and the rich soils of orchards and fields. Maine's makers are rooted in its heritage while boldly branching into new ways of thinking, doing, and being. Connect with its people in warm and authentic towns, which beckon you to stroll art galleries and locally owned shops, where generations of artists, writers, entrepreneurs, and craftspeople see the world anew. It's tempting to do it all when you visit, but take a beat and a breath. Get a feel for the time and tempo of Maine. Simple pleasures, Scenic Adventures, where every route is the scenic one. Discover more at visitmaine.com They're saving for.

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So instead of working for one big company, say I have 300 people supporting me. Say, and you can increase your monthly support money, say $100 per month. if I get a support from 30 people, $100 a month, that's $3,000. And if you get 50 people who are supporting you with $100, you already have a $5,000 income. So whatever you do, you don't have to be the next entrepreneur of the world. You can satisfy it, or at least you can have deep connection with 50 people or 100 people, who love you so much and who's not going to let you down when you fall. So if you have that strong trust from people, you don't have to worry about money for the rest of your life.

Wow. What should be financial goals that people create for themselves? Should they have financial goals or-- I.

Don'T think financial goal is necessary. If you want to buy a big house, you may need to have that.

Sure.

But financial goals people come up with, it's because they want to feel safe, sense of security. So you don't need to have a goal of $1 million because when you reach $1 million, you feel like, this is enough.

I need more, right?

I need two. And when you reach two million, no, no, no, I think I should have three.

Yeah, three.

Yeah. So instead, What I would recommend is once again get support from 50 people and at the same time if you can imagine a joint account with your wealthiest acquaintance. You can think of me or for me I think of my mentor, Wahid Tarek or Warren Buffett. Think about your imaginary joint account and when something bad happens you can withdraw as much money as you want.

Really?

So, this fun illusion, you know, like imagination.

What does that do for you when you have that imagination?

You feel that you're not alone. And if you're lucky, like I, when I was young, I had three millionaires who endorsed me saying, you can do whatever you want. And if you fail, I'm gonna support your life for the rest of my life.

Man, does that happen in Japan a lot?

I think I heard a few Americans who experienced the same thing. So just imagine if you get that sense of security, you know, Luis, I'm gonna just keep you afloat as long as I live. And so go for it.

I'll text you if I need you, can. Yeah.

So if you get an endorsement from wealthy people like that, that's cool. You don't have to worry about it. Just so imagine.

How does someone get an endorsement from someone who has a lot of money like that?

I think what can they do? I think you have to live your life purposes. That's another subject. But if you are living your life purpose, a lot of people support you.

It's so true because when I see someone who's coming up in business in their early 20s or something, and I see that they have a gift and they're using the gift consistently to create some type of value for the world. I notice it.

I see it.

I'm like, you're doing an amazing job. You know, I'll reach out and message people and say, I love what you're doing. Keep it up. And I think even just doing that, showing people, hey, you're doing a great job, gives them encouragement to keep going, whether you're giving them money or not, but that's. that's something you can do. And I think that's, it's hard to see that when someone's not using their gifts. Right. You're not gonna endorse someone if they're just like, everything is against me, the world is challenging, and I don't care about life. But when someone says, I'm gonna take a risk, I'm going to use my gift and put myself out there, that's inspiring. In your book, which I love by the way, again, I want to get this book, Happy Money, You talk about, I think you use a concept called money magnet or like humans are like magnets for money, right? And some people, it doesn't matter if you are a good person or a bad person, right? Yes. You have an analogy in the book where you say, you know, if a rock is falling, it doesn't care who it hits. It could hit a good person or a bad person. Right. It's gravity is pulling that rock to the ground. and it's gonna hit whoever it hits based on where they're at. And you also talk about how most people think that it's not fair when they see someone bad or mean or greedy making all the money. Can you just talk about this concept of being a money magnet and how someone can become more of that?

So once again, We experience life according to our beliefs. And some people have better luck than others. And some people work so hard, but they're getting minimum wages. So you have to find your place, your seat. Your reserved seat is what I call. A lot of people try to sit on other people's seat, which is wrong because your seat is reserved somewhere else. And if you don't see it on other people's seat, what happens is that you get so depressed and then you feel so meaningless, you know, so and all that. Because you cannot really feel life. But once you sit on your seat, you are so deeply connected with your life purpose, then you start your magnetism stats gets turned on.

So how does someone know where their seat is and know how to sit in it and be happy with their seat?

Yeah, so the only thing is ask your heart what your heart tells you. If you're excited about it, you're going closer. It's like hot or cold, right? So if you feel more excited about like doing this, this is it, this is it, this is it. So you have to have your heart guide you where you're supposed to be. So always listen to your heart, you know, and then if your heart gets excited about a certain thing, you're just getting closer to your seat.

Do you have a meditation or affirmation process for someone on how they can trust their heart, listen to their heart deeper to know they're on the right path.

Right.

Do you have something that you use yourself or that other people can use?

Yeah, so I always try to have a few minutes, say you're waiting for a car, you know, an Uber, or just waiting for something. I find a few moments and then just try to find my center, you know? And then, and then just go deeper and figure out where I want to go and just listen to my heart. What does my heart say? Am I excited about this or not? Am I trying to get money so I'm not excited, but I have to do this to bring money on food on the table. So I always check what my heart tells me.

You're always listening to it. What happens when your heart is not excited? Let's say you have a project you're working on. I'm assuming all of your books you're excited about, but maybe there's an event you're supposed to go to or I don't know, something that you said yes to. And you realize your heart is not excited about this. What do you do then? Do you do it, but then you don't repeat it the next time? Or how do you navigate that?

So I want to be a nice person, So once I said yes, I'll do it. But I try to be very careful with what I say when I say yes. So I have a great team. They'll just check. Check, check.

Yeah, yeah.

They'll check. Because I want to be nice to everybody, so I'm likely to say yes too many times. So my secretary and my team says, Ken, are you sure about this? Yeah, probably not. So can you come up with something?

Well, I'm glad you're here. Reschedule this interview.

-Yeah, so, but in general, I'm trying to listen to my heart. -That's good. -And that let me hear.

-I think a lot of people don't understand the power of a daily affirmation or a daily check-in with yourself, just like you talked about for two minutes. For someone that doesn't believe in affirmations, what would you say to them?

-So, even if you don't believe it, you must be saying something. to yourself. This is a terrible day. It's so hot. I don't like this. Subconsciously, you're saying something about your life or about yourself, about your friends or about your clients. Well, I hate working with this person. Something like that. I think it's affirmation by itself. Just write down what are the things that you say to yourself. subconsciously you can probably figure out. And is that a happy thought? And then unfortunately a lot of the things that we talk to ourselves are negative. Yes. So do you want to feed negative thoughts like this or do you want to pour more positive thoughts? You have a choice. But unless you write them down, you never know it. And then you may find that the reason why you get depressed, because some get anxious about life. No wonder I feel depressed. So if all the things you talked about you are positive and loving, it's what you get.

Yeah, exactly. And can you tell me how we can think about money as energy? In the book also, I saw you writing about how money is energy and sometimes people try to make it and hold on to it. They want to hold on to it, they want to stack it in their bank as high as they can go and they don't want to spend it. Sometimes it happens. What happens when we hoard money, when we keep it and we don't let it come and go as energy? What happens?

So I have seen so many interesting things. Like when you, if you hoard your money, A few things happen. You get sick and then you have to pay for the medical bills.

Really?

Yeah. Or like your kids do something bad and then you have to pay for the damage. So money needs outlet. So it's so interesting how money flows. And if you don't let out your money energies outlet, it's gonna get bad. It's like a pond. If there's no flow, the water gets bad. It's like think about your health. If you eat and don't go to the bathroom, you're sick. What's going to happen? So to stay healthy, you have to eat right, you have to release right. So for hoarding money, I want to ask them, you're eating so much, But what if you refuse? I'm not going to go to the bathroom for the rest of my life.

Oh my gosh. You'd be sick. You'd explode.

And you cannot eat well. So you have to let your money flow, and then the next flow comes in. So here comes money EQ, the trust part. Trust is the hardest part of money EQ. You have to have the trust that once you let go of money, it comes back. So you don't have the trust. That's why you start worrying. That's why you have doubts about yourself. So instead of attaching to your money, you can say, thank you for staying with me. Just go bless the world and come back with your friends as soon as possible.

Thank you for being here. Go bless the world. Come back as quickly as possible with more friends.

Right, so it's kind of fun, right?

Sure.

So it's a metaphor. So in your mind, letting go, if you let go fast, it's gonna come back fast. So I'm trying to let go of money.

Really?

Yes.

So, you know, how should people be thinking about this so they have enough safety and security? They have enough in the bank for if something goes bad in the economy, they've saved enough. But also, they're not just overspending as well. Some people who have the personality where they just spend, spend, spend, then they go into debt. So how do we balance money so that we have enough for the future and we're not in debt?

So that's, oh, I'm so fascinated with couple counseling and sometimes family counseling. You know, we're trying to have balance. That's what's so beautiful about humankind. you know, somehow the spender gets married with Moneymaker.

Right. Someone's making all the money and someone loves to spend it all. Right.

And so they come in and this person is spending so much money. No, no, you're making too much money, you know. So you have no time for me. That's why I'm trying to get the stress out by spending money. So you have to have the balance. That's where Zen comes in.

Interesting.

If you're spending too much, you have to start saving. If you are saving too much, you have to start spending. So the prescription I give to each client is different. For some people, the savers, I said withdraw $1,000 and spend it for nothing in 24 hours.

They probably freak out like, Ah!

No, they are okay to the withdrawing part. And so the next few days or a week later, They came back and said, Ken, I withdrew $1,000.

I didn't spend it.

But I spent like $20.

Oh man.

Because they cannot waste their money. It's against their constitution.

I know people like that. So what should people be spending their money on? Right. So they don't feel like I'm just blowing money and wasting it.

I know, so like a money maker. Money makers, they think, is this a good investment?

Yes, yes.

So don't think about it because just enjoy the money flow. you can give it to people, you can just, you can throw it away on the floor because somebody's going to pick it up and make somebody very happy. So you can be creative with money. But we are taught from a young child that childhood that you have to take care of money. Wow. Just, just, what if, what if you just throw your $100 bills on the street what would your mother say?

Right. Right?

So, but for exercises, I tell people, can you throw away your money? And they show me the expression as if I'm saying, I'm gonna, you're gonna die in 10 minutes.

Wow.

They're gonna like, you know, so I enjoy so much.

What happens with your clients when you say, okay, go spend a few hundred dollars a day or leave money out on the table for someone to pick it up, and you do these experiments, what do these individuals say afterwards, a month later, a year later, about giving their money or spending it, not all of it, but some of it, in these experiments?

So they realized how much attachment they had toward money, and it's in here. And by the way, my finding shows that the savior type, the people who have attachment for money, tend to have this physically, they get constipation.

Constipated, yeah.

So there is that. So they have a hard time letting go of money.

And the waste, their food.

Because they're attached to it.

What happens when we are attached to money?

I think the flow of energy gets stopped. So if you let go of money easily, the more opportunities come. easily, but because you cannot let go of money, you cannot receive. So if you let go easily, the more to come. So those people are losing out opportunities. So say I had a friend in my 20s when I asked him to go out and have some fun, and he said, no, no, no, I don't want to do that because it's going to cost something. Let's say, you know, $50 or $100 for a party, right? But just look at what he's missing. He's missing out the opportunity of meeting new people. Like I met many great mentors by attending very expensive seminars. You know, I attended like $200 seminar. At the time it felt like a million dollars. But since I was the only student at the time to attend a business seminar, Everybody loved me. So $200.

It's so cool that you're here with all these older people and you decided to show up. Let's mentor you. Right. Yeah. Yeah.

So I was like a little toy. Okay, I want to just play with you. So that was a great investment, for example. So if you let go of money easily, you get so much. So why don't you think of letting go of money and also as almost like a shopping for your memories.

Shopping for memories.

Yeah, because I didn't have to fly. I'm going around the world this time. I'm just meeting up a lot of people. It costs some money, right?

But.

By spending so much money on hotels and airplanes, look what I'm having. I'm having such a great time.

You have experiences, life memories. Yes.

So when I'm in a senior home sometime in the future, I think of having this conversation with you and meeting up a lot of great people in the world. So I have full of memories. So if you just have, if you don't spend the money, you don't get all the fun memories.

Right. And what happens to people when they speak bad about money, they complain about it, they live in scarcity, what happens?

Yes, that's a good question.

Maine, where life the way it should be transforms all who encounter its spectacular landscapes. Rugged coastlines, pine-scented trails, sandy beaches, sparkling lakes, and tranquil forests inspire you to reflect and make meaningful moments. They offer endless opportunities for adventure and exploration. Whether pedaling or paddling, hiking or biking, Maine has more than enough outdoor spaces to make the most of long summer days. relish in exquisite flavors harvested from the ocean and the rich soils of orchards and fields. Maine's makers are rooted in its heritage while boldly branching into new ways of thinking, doing and being. Connect with its people in warm and authentic towns which beckon you to stroll art galleries and locally owned shops where generations of artists, writers, entrepreneurs and craftspeople see the world anew. It's tempting to do it all when you visit, but take a beat and a breath. Get a feel for the time and tempo of Maine, simple pleasures, scenic adventures, where every route is the scenic one. Discover more at visitmaine.com.

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So think of money as a person. I always ask, you know, I talk to thousands of people all the time and just ask a big audience, How many of you love money? If it's a business seminar, they say yes. And my next question is, how many people do you think money loves you as much? And they say, I love money, but I don't know if I'm being loved by money. But feelings must be mutual. It's the same thing with a relationship. Even if you love her, love him so much, If you don't get the same amount of love from the other part, it doesn't mean anything.

So you have to love your money and your money has to love you. But if you speak bad about money.

What would you think?

Or you speak bad about people who have money.

Yes.

Then why would money love you in return?

Yes. So exactly, thank you for answering me. Yeah, so that's exactly what I want to say. If you want to be in love with money, you have to be, you know, you have to respect your money as your best friend or your love of your life. So love on money can love you back.

So what are the best ways that we can start respecting our money better so that our money loves us more and wants to bring more friends?

I always ask my money where it wants to go. Really?

Yeah. So what do you mean? You have like a few hundred dollars in your hand and you say, where do you want to go? Yeah.

The other day I got a big Big check from overseas. The book I wrote 18 years ago, it's about $10,000. And then, oh, thank you, thank you money. And I asked money, do you want to stay with me or do you want to go somewhere? And the money said, I hear it in imagination. The money says, I want to go to Cambodia. Really? To help kids. Wow. And then I remember there's a friend of mine, who is doing orphanage in Cambodia. So that $10,000 is helping kids for fruits and electricity and the rent for a whole year, like 36 kids. So, and that $10,000 I could have used for something else, but I have already enough. So by asking the money where it wants to go, it went to the right place to bless the kids. So, I'm so blessed with happy money. So if I start doing that, the more money comes in. So more money comes in from. From the world. And I've written 200 books. So, like, book royalties come from everywhere. So almost like every few other days, I get money from somewhere.

Amazing.

Yeah. So I asked money where you want to go, and then I want to take your family out for dinner. That's good. So we just, you know.

Go.

So it's not, I'm not saying that you should spend your money for somebody else. It could be, you know, I want to buy a car or whatever that is. So if you can be, if you can have some distance from money instead of like, this is all my money, you can be free from money.

Because what happens to someone who has so much extra money at the end of their life and they don't spend it. What do you think about that? Because a lot of people have a lot of extra, but then they pass it down to their families or they put it in trusts and then they give it out to charities. What's your thoughts on that?

I'm just saying that they're missing out a huge thing. They could have seen what your money could have done.

The impact. Yeah.

My mentor, one of my mentors is Junki Yoshida. who is the founder of Yoshida Gourmet Sauce in Portland, Oregon. And he donated something like $8 or $10 million worth of state to Children's Hospital. And he's in his 60s or early 70s. So he's still alive, right?

He experiences it. Right.

I mean, usually I hear when you pass out, passed away, that goes to something, right? But he donated the big house that their older kids grew up on, donated the huge mansion to the hospital. And I asked him, if I were you, I'd want to live as long as I'm alive. And then when I die or my wife dies together, that can go. And he said, I wanted to see how my money or how my house is helping kids while I'm alive. Don't you think it's selfish? No, no, no, no, no. I think you have all the rights to see how your happy money can help others.

Right.

So if you just hoard your money and then die without doing anything, you are missing out the most fun because you have such an impact. You could have an impact for other people. And I think that's a reward for making so much money.

What is the vision for your money life for the rest of your life? Do you want to die with zero? Are you trying to give more of it away? Are you trying to make more? Are you trying to make your container bigger? What's your vision?

I may surprise you, but I'm a money in different type.

You're neutral.

I'm not really interested in money.

Really?

Yeah, because I'm not interested in growing my money because I have already enough and I make enough. So I'm not interested in money even though I'm regarded as a money group because money flows enough and goes out enough. So I don't have a goal. I don't have any attachment. And as I said, even if I lose everything, My friends would take care of me. So I don't have any thing. But for humankind, I have a vision. I hope in 20, 30 years, or while I'm alive, I want to see human being can be free from money or money worries. That's why I'm doing my work actively in the world, because I don't need to get something out of people. I'm just here to share.

Yes.

And if you know how not to worry about money, you are going to do something else. So my question to the viewers and friends is that if you don't worry about money, just even a slightest bit, what would you do? What is a project that you want to start? And that is something you have to go right away. Yes.

What would you say to parents on the three most important things they should be teaching their children.

Okay.

As they get into, you know, after five years old, as they start learning about money and the material world, what lessons should parents be teaching their kids about money, in your opinion?

Great, thank you. So, I used to, and I think I'm still teaching my child, she's 24, so she's growing up already. But the first thing I would teach is money is fun. So if your kids know that money is fun, so we used to sit on the dinner table, just say, I have this, say, $10,000 to donate. What do you want to do? You can help rescue the animals, you can help the environment, you can help the homeless people, what do you want to do? And when we give presents, what would you want to do? So my daughter grew up thinking money can do so many wonders. So if all our kids learned money is a magical wand to make people happy, I think people are more excited about getting the money. So they have no negative ideas about money. And imagine what if all the children have never been scolded for wasting their money. I think we will be so stress-free because a lot of worries come from the need for survival and it's attached to money. So once we are free of money stress, I think our life would be so different.

Yes. Yeah.

So if you can teach money is a fun thing, that is a great starter.

Okay. Number one, teach the money is fun.

And also, I want you to teach your kids about money and emotions, because those things are not taught at school. Because even though your child is growing up with a positive positive attitudes, your friends may not. So they try to compete with you of how much they have allowances or like this is my new iPhone, something. Or like this is my sneakers or whatever that is. And then people try to manipulate you with emotions. So if you start teaching, you feel bad about money, you feel ashamed of money, you feel guilty about money, We all feel some emotions.

Yes.

So if you start teaching emotions around money, I think your kids will be emotionally free from money stress.

Yeah, they won't be comparing themselves to others who have more.

Right.

They'll feel good about themselves. Right. Yeah.

And I think related to that, I probably share, I once shared with my daughter, you know, I'm not the wealthiest man in the world. I have enough money, but I don't call myself, you know, the tycoon or whatever that is. I don't have a private jet, right? So, but I'm financially independent and free. So, I teach my daughter that about money emotions. And at the same time, I have a lot of emotions too. Sometimes I feel guilty, sometimes I feel shame.

Really?

Yes.

Around money or around?

Yes, around money or everything.

Why do you feel guilty or ashamed?

Like say all my students have less money than I do. So sometimes I used to feel, sometimes I feel I'm taking advantage of other people, right? I don't need to get money. So sometimes I do seminar for free.

Sure.

But anyway, so I feel shame, guilty, guilt around money. So I share that with my daughter.

How do we eliminate those negative emotions? Like how do you get rid of those?

You cannot. Really?

Because it's human nature.

As long as you live, say you're very happy, but if the person right next to you is crying, you know- you- feel bad. You feel sorry for her. So sometimes you may feel about guilt for being happy. So sometimes I feel guilty when my author friends saying, Ken, my books are not selling well. I'm so sorry.

Yours are selling so well.

Yeah, yeah, so I feel guilty, I feel shamed, so many things. So I'm teaching my daughter that this is very natural.

Gotcha.

But the bad things happen if we try to manipulate our feelings by compensating, working hard, by saving what? So I'm just joking. If I could become a prime minister of Japan, I'm gonna print every note of banking notes said, making too much, worrying too much, and spending too much can be hazardous to your health.

I like that, that's good. Okay, so the first thing to teach your kids is money is fun. You can make people happy with it. The second thing is to learn about money and emotions.

Yes.

That these things are natural to have emotions around. The third thing the parents should teach kids about money?

More you give, more you receive. So you don't have to work so hard to get the money. But if you want to get more, you have to give more. And to do that, you have to be loved by people around you. You have to have many friends. So to do that, you have to have a good relationship. relationships with people. So relationships are everything. In North America, it's very individualistic. So you eat your own food, you eat your own thing, and since you're five, you're so used to taking examinations. You never had examinations with three of your best buddies and coming up with the right answer.

Yeah.

I think we should, but it's so individualistic. So you cannot talk with your friends while you're having an examination.

You can't collaborate, right?

Hey, Bill, what do you think? Number three. Okay, thank you. It doesn't work that way. And then it's up to your 20s and 30s. So especially in North America, everybody seems isolated because you cannot talk about your sexual problems or financial problems, your emotional problems with your best friends. So you hang out and go for a cup of coffee, a glass of beer and just watch the sports. But you're missing out the most quality moments, which is share your problems, because your best friend may have the exact problem.

You might have a deeper connection. Right.

So you have to really have this mentality of being supported by friends. So do more and receive more. So by hearing that, You don't have to worry about taking advantage of other people. Something is not fair, the rich is doing something bad. It's not of your problem. You focus on what you give and what you share, and then you receive. So as long as you know the rule, you can focus on what you give. And so attached to that, I teach my kids to follow your heart. So just follow your heart. That is the guidance.

I love those points for parents to teach kids. Speaking of parents and moving to a related topic, how does sex and money play together?

I cannot stop talking. You need five more hours. I think American people are especially interested in this. Money and sex have something in common. It pulls out the best and the worst of you. And it pulls out the best emotions and the worst emotions. Because they can show you both heaven and hell.

Right.

Because a lot of crimes happen because of these two.

It's true.

So with your financial problem and sexual problem, you get the worst out of you. You hate yourself by being such a jerk or a bad girl. So it pulls out a lot of emotions. So you have to be careful because you never know what you get. And because it's so suppressed deep within. But in other words, money and Sex can be a great healer because it can transform your life.

You said healer?

Healer.

Healer.

Yes, it can transform your life. That's why I call myself money healer. If you heal money, you can heal so many things.

Wow.

And money and sex are doing the similar things.

Really?

Because it's so attached to your self-worth. Like say how many people are confident about their sexual situation? and a financial situation?

Not many. Maybe it's one or the other, but it's usually not both. Right.

And the people who are bragging about their happiness, they may be over exaggerating the situation. And so inside we feel so vulnerable. We don't know how much satisfaction we're giving to a partner or we are getting from money. So we feel so vulnerable and shameful and guilty. around sexual issues and money issues. So it gives you such a great opportunity to look at yourself and who you are. So especially around those two topics, you feel like you want to prove something, that you're good.

And making money and it's sex. Right.

And then at the same time, we failed the test.

Oh man, yeah.

By looking at our bank statement, we failed the test. By looking at a partner's face, just a little tiny expression, oh, disappointment. I'm disappointed, you know, or she or he is disappointed. So there is a lot of discouragement issues and could depression.

Should we try to heal the sexual side first or heal the money side first?

Whichever you wish. So some people want to heal the sexual thing first and some people The other people feel, you know, they can handle money. For North American people, sexual issues are maybe a little easier because financial part, I've seen so many people just freeze, you know, when they are thinking of money. So maybe for North Americans, money could be a little more tough.

So you'd say if you can heal money, the topic of money within yourself, that should support you in healing other areas of your life as well.

Of course, of course, because you don't have to prove yourself. So how much money you have or how much money you make has nothing to do with your self-worth. So I'm just a happy, happy. I learned new English expressions. I'm such a happy camper.

Happy camper, yes.

So it doesn't have anything with my financial relation.

Yeah. So.

So if you can find your happiness on your own, you can really focus on what you want to do because I. You don't really care what other people think or how successful I need to be. So if you have that mentality, you can enjoy every moment. Like in this interview, I'm just having a great conversation with you. Yeah, Louise. Right. And I don't have to prove my points. I don't have to sell more books. I'm just hoping that our conversation can open doors for people for their peace of mind.

Absolutely. It's funny you're saying this about healing money because I've had so many conversations this year from different experts, from therapists, from money experts, from athletes, from just people in life. And the common theme about how to live a better life, your health, relationships, money, business, your sports, and how to be more fulfilled, is the first step is to heal something. Heal the past, heal your relationship, heal your relationship with money. It starts with healing first. And when we can create a healing environment, we have more peace, talking about making peace with your money. healing first. And from a peaceful environment, we're able to flourish, isn't that right?

Yes.

We're able to grow, we're able to expand, to see the best of ourselves actualized.

Yes, you said it so beautifully. And it's not just one thing, one time only. It's an ongoing process.

A journey.

Yeah, so I don't think I'm 100% healed. I sometimes cry over money. Sometimes I cry over certain things that happen in my family. I have still a lot of shame and guilt and a lot of excitement and happiness too, because I'm alive.

Yes.

Yeah, so I'm not perfect at all. So people are surprised. You're a money guru and how come you feel guilty? But I do. And to be honest, that's where I am.

What's the biggest challenge you have yet to overcome in your life? The biggest struggle challenge?

For me, it's a false humbleness. I'm so happy, so I feel like I don't have to do anything anymore. So I have a nice retreat center up in the mountains.

In Japan?

Yes. So I'm happy to grow my own veggies, just in my garden. And it's so beautiful flowers. I'm missing them so much while I'm traveling. So I can be so happy with where I am, but I know I can be contributing more too. So as much as I know I can be contributing so much, but I want to make sure that I'm happy as well. So my false humbleness tends to lead me into small happiness. So I'm sort of going back and forth. But coming here and having chat with you, Makes me so excited about the potential of what I can do. So I appreciate you so much for bringing, pulling out the best from me.

Yeah, of course.

So that is my next challenge.

I love it. I'm gonna take you up on it, Ken, when I come visit Japan for my first time. I have to say hi to you and show me around a little bit. But I am so excited about the mission you're on. to teach people about how to heal their conversations around money and giving us, you know, it's a scary thing for a lot of people. They feel like it's extremely complicated. But you simplify it. You simplify it in this book, Happy Money, which I want everyone to get. Make sure you guys get a few copies for your friends. This is really powerful. You have a lot of great content at KenHonda.com and on your social media. You've got a course as well that people can check out around finding peace with their with their money, and that's at KenHonda.com, I believe that as well. So I'm just so grateful for you still wanting to live a life of service and teaching us these things, and not just sitting in the garden all day long. But I know you need that time as well.

Yeah, but I probably feel very bored.

Exactly.

Exactly. I wish I could see Louis in there.

Exactly. I asked you this question before, But I'm curious if something else has come up for you. So this is the last couple questions.

Yes.

This is called the Three Truths. So imagine it's your last day on earth, many years away. You get to live as long as you want to live, but you have to call it your last day. You write another thousand books. You do all the things you want to do.

Right.

But for whatever reason, all of your work, your books have to go with you. So we don't have access to this conversation, this book anymore. hypothetical. But you get to leave behind three lessons to the world, three truths that you would share. This is all we have to remember you by. What would be those three truths?

You are asking so many beautiful questions. I'm overwhelmed by that. So I think the first thing I would say is life can be fun. That is probably one thing I would say. And the second thing I would say is when you wonder, jump is what I'd say. And the third one would be enjoy every moment. Because something bad, something good, but both can be fun later on. So when you feel a call, just do it. messes up, it's okay. It could be a fun memory in the future. So it's nothing to do with money. Just follow your heart.

It's beautiful. Ken, I want to acknowledge you again. Thank you for the work that you do. I want people to get the book, Happy Money. Thank you for your contribution, the way you consistently show up for the world, for your communities, the way you've shown up on this episode and for the School of Greatness community. So I acknowledge you for Thank you. Your talents and starting to write the, use these talents in your 30s to contribute to so many of us. Final question, what is your definition of greatness?

Greatness is the state that you are who you are. And I think if you're, I learned an expression in English, if you're comfortable with your own skin, Yes. I think that is what greatness is. So if you are truly who you are on your own style, I think that's greatness.

Ken, thank you so much. Appreciate you. Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much for listening. I hope you enjoyed today's episode and inspired you on your journey towards greatness. Make sure to check out the show notes in the description for a full rundown of today's show with all the.

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Guys, so share a review over on Apple and let me know what part of this episode resonated with you the most.

And if no one's told you lately.

I want to remind you that you are loved, you are worthy, and you matter.

And now it's time to go out.

There and do something great.

Hey, everybody.

Ted Danson here to tell you about my podcast with my longtime friend and sometimes co-host, Woody Harrelson. It's called Where Everybody Knows yous Name, and we're back for another season. I'm so excited to be joined this season by friends like John Mulaney, David Spade, Sarah Silverman, Ed Helms, and many more. You don't wanna miss it. Listen to Where Everybody Knows yous Name with me, Ted Danson, and Woody Harrelson, Sometimes, wherever you get your podcasts. Going up.

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