Fine Print – April 2019

As the growing season begins, customers will be focused on money/business. The ongoing global financial shakeup has everyone rethinking their financial strategies. Whether they are young adults who are just entering the workforce, retirees worried about their future, small business owners, or people who rely on small businesses for their livelihood, they are all reevaluating their relationship to money/business in a serious way. Major mind/body/spirit publishers are well aware of this and have answered the call with lots of insightful, empowering books on all aspects of the financial realm. From basic money/prosperity rituals to cutting-edge books on leadership in a changing economic world, they are providing you and your customers with a wealth of information and encouragement. What follows is a diverse selection of these amazing new business titles that envision abundance and full participation.

Giving: Purpose is the New Currency

Alexandre Mars ($21.99 H – ISBN 9780062912404) Harper One

www.harpercollins.com

When the topic of charitable donations arises, people can’t help but think of Melinda and Bill Gates. Together, they have created the model for not just giving a percentage of one’s wealth to foster positive growth in society, but perhaps more importantly, sharing state-of-the-art business skills to ensure that money donated is applied with the efficiency and expectations of a well-run mega-corporation. So how can your customers apply that model in their own lives? Scandal after scandal has made us all leery of “charities.” None of us want to give hard-earned money if it will be used to decorate someone’s office (or worse). Alexandre Mars took on that challenge and has worked diligently to create a solution. He suggests that philanthropy shouldn’t be reserved for the privileged few; it should be personally accessible to all. A successful trend predictor, he envisions a “giving” which is woven into the fabric of day-to-day society. He sees it as a participatory activity, an investment into society which will increase support for the person/business which is donating. He suggests a world which routinely factors social impact into its decisions. It is an idea that younger generations are increasingly embracing. Mars has thought this through extensively. This book clearly and optimistically shares his experiences, insight, and projections.

Millennial Money Makeover: Escape Debt, Save For Your Future, and Live the Rich Life Now

Conor Richardson ($15.95 P – ISBN 9781632651457) Career Press

www.redwheelweiser.com

Millennials have entered the work force and are beginning to face the financial reality that has been imposed on them. It’s not a pretty pictured and they are reacting accordingly. Buckling under the weight of student loans and the high cost of a successful lifestyle/image, they are turning away from a model of success that defines achievement as the acquisition of the latest smartphone or pricey car or car, house..). Richardson has been there, done that and he fought his way out of that jungle back into a sane lifestyle. He has distilled what he learned into a six-step program that will take your customers from broke to rich — and the skills that he shares will work just as well for retirees as they do for Millennials. The solutions are simple once they are understood: eliminating debt, budgeting, shopping for value rather than status, and saving for the future. Implementing them takes work, but Richardson tells readers how to approach that in the most effective manner. The bonus gift he includes in the book? A thorough discussion of the rise of Robo-Advisors and how they can be integrated into an investment strategy that enhances rather diminishes the human side of business.

Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader: Lessons from Google and a Zen Monastery Kitchen

Marc Lesser ($16.95 P – ISBN 9781608685196) New World Library

www.newworldlibrary.com

Lesser learned to put philosophy into practice in the kitchen of Tassajara, the first Zen monastery in the West. He started as a dishwasher and worked his way up to head cook. That eventually gained him an invitation to take over as director of the center, which he did for a year before he left to get an MBA from New York University. What he learned in the kitchen at Tassajara still serves as his model for integrating meditation practice into daily life. It is based on the idea of work as a “place of service and a container for continual learning”. Eventually Lesser was contacted by Chade-Meng Tan, an engineer at Google, who asked him to help create Search Inside Yourself, a mindfulness program Tan was developing for Google. The program was a huge success in the fast-paced, but open-minded Google culture. Lesser’s personal experience, coupled with the results from the Google program, led him to the top of the mountain and a seven-step protocol for corporate leadership which utilizes mindfulness practice as a key management tool. This book heralds a new day in corporate life and practice.

Money Magic: Mastering Prosperity in Its True Element

Frater U.˙. D.˙. ($17.99 P – ISBN 9780738721279) Llewellyn Publications

www.llewellyn.com

2019 marks the fifth printing of this state-of-the-art tome which seems to finally be coming into its own. Frater U.˙. D.˙. began his studies with Eastern philosophies and then moved into the world of Western Ceremonial and Hermetic magic. From there, he charted his own course through the world of the occult, standing firmly on a foundation of formal study and personal experience. Eventually, he determined that manifesting affluence depends upon a combination of psychological disciplines and the more informal approaches to magical practice. He cautions against things like using money as a placeholder (focusing on the money rather than the car that the money will buy). He describes classical magical rituals, sigils, and good luck charms. Then he adds discussions from the psychological model of magic, i.e. creating a personification of money to interact with. He explains it all in this wonderfully thorough book.

Having Nothing, Possessing Everything: Finding Abundant Communities in Unexpected Places

Michael Mather ($17.99 P – ISBN 9780802874832) Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

www.eerdmans.com

Michael Mather says of his arrival at Broadway United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, “I wanted to be a do-gooder who was sent to the inner city . . . to save and redeem . . . I began to see the power and agency in the people I came to serve.” Ultimately, he created a very financially successful church community. He attributes his success to the people who resisted his impulse to rescue them. In this book he recounts how those early parishioners taught him about the “theology of abundance” as he recognized their gifts and used those gifts to build the foundation of his ministry. In Making Sense of Money, he tells us that his world changed when he realized that he could use money to “support the gifts, talents, and dreams” of those he first thought of as poor and needy. In Getting Out of the Way, he reminds us that “when charity becomes institutionalized, we forget that we can respond charitably to our neighbor.” This is a book about hope and helping in the face of extreme disparagement and despair. Anchored in Christian tradition, there is little in this book that will be off-putting to people of other (or no) religious persuasions. It is a book about connecting rather than dividing.

Leading Transformation: How to Take Charge of Your Company’s Future

Nathan Furr, Kyle Nel, Thomas Zoëga Ramsøy ($32.00 H – ISBN 9781633696549) Harvard Business Review Press

www.hbr.com

Don’t let the fact that this book comes from Harvard scare your customers off. These scholars are all about practical implementation and communicating clearly. To make the point, they have included a graphic novel version of the book in the appendices. They are telling readers that cutting-edge technology without the practical insights of behavioral science will remain stuck in the academic ivory tower, rather than becoming the “one more thing” that gets customers’ attention. It’s the difference between Apple and Polaroid. The book includes digital tools intended to help readers side-step behavioral traps. They explain why the tools designed in the era of relative organization and economic stability (the era of coordination and control) aren’t of use in the era of uncertainty. In an open-ended discussion befitting the message they are delivering, these authors want to help you and your customers break up bottlenecks and courageously navigate the unknown. Admittedly, the cover design is still a little toned-down and scholarly but it will be worth your while to walk customers past that and help them discover the visionary excitement that lies within the pages.

The Chaos Protocols: Magical Techniques for Navigating the New Economic Reality

Gordon White ($17.99 P – ISBN 9780738744711) Llewellyn Publications

www.llewellyn.com

According to a two-thousand-year-old Hindu epic we are living in the age of Kali Yuga, the most challenging incarnation possible. It’s not good news, but, admit it, it’s a relief to know that you’re not imagining how difficult life on this planet is right now. Gordon White, a leading practitioner of Chaos Magic tells us that we are a biosphere in crisis, but he also says that seven decades of psychological research has made it pretty clear that maintaining a positive attitude in the face of challenge is the surest path to eventual success. He tells us that there are no safe harbors left, but that the open ocean is comparatively safe. Readers who are new to facing reality with open eyes and taking the hit straight up might feel like they have followed Alice down the rabbit hole. Those who have at least dabbled in the world of seeking opportunity rather than security will be delighted by White’s insightful, sardonic, and straight-forward communication. The introduction to this book alone is worth the purchase price. And White’s message, for readers who are willing to give up their preconceived ideas, is in the end, highly optimistic. He delivers all of it with a slightly humorous overtone in that aloof and conspiratorial voice that only the British can pull off. This is a book for readers who want to face the facts and maintain their sanity while they do.

Kakeibo: The Japanese Art of Saving Money

Fumiko Chiba ($15.00 P – ISBN 9780525538035) TarcherPerigee

www.penguin.com

Part money management training manual, part lifestyle coaching, and part treasure mapping tool, this Western introduction to the traditional Japanese Kakeibo method, is extraordinary. Beautifully designed in the easy-yet-powerful graphic style that the Japanese are famous for, the book invites you to explore the system that it offers. The Kakeibo method was created by journalist Motoko Hani and published in a women’s magazine in 1905, in order to help housewives take control of financial decisions and build a plan for financial wellbeing. It continues to be a proactive fixture in a culture which values economy and financial self-sufficiency. Using it is simple. The reader just uses it to track daily spending, then sits down at the beginning of every month to review the past month’s spending and allocate the coming month’s money. (The book isn’t tied to specific dates so readers can begin on any day in any month.) The point is to focus on spending money well, differentiating between “musts” and “wants”, being clear about the amount of money which will be available, and strategizing about how to keep it all in balance in the month ahead. (The Japanese sometimes put money in separate envelopes to ensure that it is spent in the manner which has been predetermined in the Kakeibo.) The quotes at the beginning of each month are motivating, reassuring, and humorous. For example: Even dust amassed will grow into a mountain.

Humble Leadership: The Power of Relationships, Openness, and Trust

Edgar H. Schein and Peter A. Schein ($19.95 P – ISBN 9781523095384) Berrett-Koehler Publishers

www.bkconnection.com

As younger (Harry Potter) generations enter the workforce, they bring with them different values and expectations. They are not a good fit with old school managers who believe in domination and coercion. This father and son team are spreading the word that an inflexible corporate leadership style, based on vertical hierarchies, is not only out-of-date, it is also a deadly course of action in a changing world. They are already noticing a drift toward a leadership style based on openness, trust, and teamwork. That doesn’t mean it won’t be effective in very structured organizations. They cite Singapore as a prime example of how Humble Leadership can create economic success in a highly structured environment. They go on to demonstrate the successful application of this leadership style in the US Military, in the practice of medicine, and in educational institutions. As far back as 1945, German sociologist Kurt Lewin, working at MIT, discovered that teaching and learning was greatly enhanced when teachers, instead of “telling” students, asked them to have personal experiences and then analyze those experiences with the teacher’s help (now known as “experiential learning”). All of the above is just the tip of the iceberg. The book contains a wealth of insight into leadership and business relationships in today’s world. If you (or your customers) manage people in any way, shape, or form, this is a book you will want to read

Believe to Achieve: See the Invisible, Do the Impossible

Howard “H” White ($16.99 P – ISBN 9781582706900) Beyond Words/Artria

www.beyondword.com

Originally published in 2003, this updated edition of the book is even more relevant today than when the first edition was published. Phil Knight, CEO of Nike, says in the foreword, “If business is war without bullets (and I believe it is) then Howard White and I have been in the same foxhole for over thirty-five years.” That’s the kind of loyalty and respect White has accrued. That’s what he hopes to pass along in this book. The book is divided into two parts: The Apprentice and The Master. White tells readers that there must always be someone to show the path. He expresses gratitude that there were always people in his life to help him see far greater things than he could have imagined by himself. He says that we all have to make our own choice between the light side or the dark side, and he’s grateful to the people who helped him choose the light side. He tells us that while he had many teachers, his mother was his Master, and that she taught through small daily lessons and the example of a simple life lived with pride, dignity, gentle greatness and great faith. It is consistency and commitment that instills the habit of successfully looking to the higher path. My favorite part of this book is that White recognizes that upbringing as the tremendous leg-up that he was given by his Master. He shares that there is always a process to making things happen and that at any point in time, there’s a lesson available to those who are paying attention. He believes that our journey is a circle which lets us know that we are all connected. “When we change our lives for the better, we also change the world for the better, and vice versa.” The theory is uplifting, but his words are down-to-earth and the guidance he offers is very, VERY practical.