By Ken Honda | Published September 1, 2019

Money is perceived as something that can make us happy, but can your money be happy? Exploring the relationship and energy behind it all.

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It’s a scene many of us know all too well: There you are, dreading paying your bills because you’re worried there’s just not enough money. Maybe you’re scrimping and saving every month, doing your best to hold on until payday, hoping you’ll survive. Most of us have had moments like this, but what if money didn’t have to be a struggle? What if you could make peace with your money and experience it as a happy part of your life?

I am on a mission to create more peace and happiness around money for people just like you.

And what most people don’t realize is that how we feel about money and how we relate to it affects the flow of money in our lives.

Take a moment and imagine your best friend. Think about how you feel towards this person, and how they feel towards you. Think about the fun you have together, and the ways in which your relationship is a balance of give and take. You both support each other, and you both can lean on each other.

Now imagine it can be this way with money, too. Money can be your friend. You can give money and receive money, and all of it can be part of a happy relationship with money.

In order to get to this happy money relationship, though, you may first need to understand how you currently feel about money. If you carry a lot of stress and worry about it, you may be thinking of money as an adversary or a source of fear, not a friend.

Ready to find out how you are viewing money now? Try this exercise.

If Money Were a Person, Who Would It Be?

Imagine you are walking down the street and you meet the personification of money:

• What does this person look like?
• How are they dressed?
• How do they walk?

Now, imagine that this person speaks to you.

• What do they say?
• Are they kind or unkind? Friendly or rude? Engaging or dismissive?
• What other qualities do they have?
• Are they interested in talking to you and being around you?

In working with thousands of people all over the world, I have found that, for so many of them, money shows up as mean and unfriendly. And sometimes they find that money is just difficult for them to be with: unresponsive, disinterested, apathetic towards them.

For those who have not had good experiences with money, I am sorry that life’s been unfair. I am sorry that things weren’t easy in the past. But I can assure you that doesn’t mean your future is fixed or that you can’t turn your life around or change your feelings toward money. Money can be ‘bad’, but it can also be ‘good’ – very good in fact, depending upon the intention you assign to it and the energy you connect with it. It can also show up as welcoming and kind, especially if you start changing your energy towards it and treat it like a best friend.

Create a Happy Money Life

Ultimately, we all choose our approach to money, and to life. How? I believe it begins with gratitude. Instead of believing there is never enough, you begin thinking: I have all that I need, and I am so grateful for it all. I am grateful for the work I do, the food I eat, the car I drive, and all the money I make.

When money comes in, you say, “Thank you” or, as we saying Japan, “Arigato.” Even when money leaves you, you can say it again; grateful for how the money served you or what it is bringing to you now.

Whatever happens, you can say thank you – powerful words that will help you start to transform your relationship with money. The more you do this, the less stress you’ll have, and the more happiness will flow through you and your money. And you’ll begin to see, without much effort, how quickly the unhappy money in your wallet starts to grow and smile and transform into happy money.

See article: Is Your Money Happy? A Refreshing Approach To Navigating Your Finances