Have you ever felt frustrated by money? Most of us have. Maybe you feel like you’re not paid enough, or there’s barely enough to cover your expenses, or your bills seem unmanageable. Whatever the case, my guest today can help you develop a healthier relationship with money.

Ken Honda is known as the “Zen Millionaire” in Japan, and he’s written a new book called Happy Money: The Japanese Art of Making Peace with Your Money, which describes how to create what Ken calls a healthy flow of money.

It was great to learn more about Ken’s philosophy of money, and how it relates to our beliefs, fears, insecurities, and aspirations. Topics we explored together included:

• What it means to think of money as energy that can carry different emotions depending on how it was exchanged
• What our relationship with money can reveal about broader issues in our lives
• The hurts we carry related to money
• How realistic financial limitations early in life might affect our beliefs later on
• Money as a potential excuse for not pursuing one’s dreams
• Why our dream of “financial security” is an illusion
• The strong tendency to increase our spending when our income goes up
• The status and standing we attach to income and possessions
• What’s we can actually control related to money
• The reasons for our fears about money
• The strong association we make between money and survival
• Relationships as the best investment for security
• The myth of scarcity versus an abundance mindset
• How to arigato (appreciate) your money
• Compulsive savers and other approaches to money
• What underlies our fear of running out of money
• The value of money EQ (emotional intelligence) over money IQ
• Finding your right “container size” for money
• Common negative beliefs about money
• Tendency of couples to have opposite views on money
• The fundamental principles of creating a happy flow of money

Ken mentioned Wahei Takeda, the “Warren Buffett of Japan”; here’s a book based on his ideas: Maro Up: The Secret to Success Begins with Arigato: Wisdom from the “Warren Buffet of Japan.”

And here’s the link to Ken’s most recent book, which to my knowledge is his first book in English: Happy Money: The Japanese Art of Making Peace with Your Money. (A percentage of each purchase made through these affiliate links will be used to support the podcast, at no additional cost to you.)

Ken Honda is a bestselling author of self-development books in Japan, where he’s sold more than 7 million books over the past two decades.

While his financial expertise comes from owning and managing several businesses, his writings bridge the topics of finance and self-help, focusing on creating and generating personal wealth and happiness through deeper self-honesty.

Ken is the first person from Japan to be voted into the Transformational Leadership Council. He’s fluent in Japanese and English, and currently lives in Tokyo.

Find Ken online at his website.