Book Commentary: Happy Money by Ken Honda
How do you feel about money?
Sure, you might be thinking “more is better!” and feel tempted to move on. Yet, I bet there’s a lot more to your feelings about money. 👇
It’s a topic that comes up a lot, in the confidential space of coaching, and often arrives wrapped in a lot of awkwardness and discomfort.
❓ Concerns about getting “enough” money and hanging on to what we have. Can I take this career risk? Should I offer a discount to a client? Can I share some of the revenue with others on the team?
❓Wondering whether we are “worth” the money we earn. How do I ask for a raise or promotion? Should I just be thankful for what I earn or jockey for more? Is it ok to take this job “just for the money”?
❓Conflating money or lack of money – and the appearance of having money or not having money – with success in life and as a person. How do I deal with the pressure to “keep up”? What would it mean about me if I took a job that pays less?
It’s a long list and varies from person to person. Underlying it all are lessons we learned from our parents, society, and personal experience that are clouded by a cultural unwillingness to really talk about what money means to us.
I’m not talking about financial literacy, or technical approaches to investing for retirement or taking market risks, though of course these “money IQ” factors matter, too.
🤔 Instead, I’m talking about “money EQ” – understanding our emotional relationship with money and its impact on our worldview and workview and decisions we make.
If you know my personal story, you probably know that I share the same emotional entanglements with money EQ. In fact, the bulleted list above comes straight from my near constant self-talk.
Inspired by client queries and my own questions, I picked up the book Happy Money: The Japanese Art of Making Peace with Your Money by Ken Honda.* This book introduced me to the terms “money IQ” and “money EQ” and explained the author’s views on how our relationship with money forms and what we can do to create a healthier relationship with our money.
My copy of the book has a lot of “dog eared” pages, and I won’t try to communicate in one post all that resonated with me.
I’ll leave you with one of the book’s closing statements:
You have the freedom to choose your life.
You can do whatever you want.
Don’t let money stop you.
If these words evoke a response such as “yeah, right, easy for you to say,” I suggest asking yourself, “what if this is true? Are there ways I’m allowing my relationship to money to stop me in my career or life?”
To explore more how you can unlock potential in your career and life, reach out to me here or at john@aconnectedcoach.com
*Thanks to Payal Maheshwari for introducing me to this book.