Book Review: Relax Into Wealth
Relax into Wealth: How to Get More By Doing Less By Alan Cohen
When I picked up this book I was expecting something completely different. Initially, I thought it was going to be about money management, investing, saving, and of course, how to make money. I was. . .well, actually, I was right, but I had to step back to truly see the connection.
Relax into wealth isn’t just about money, it’s about TRUE wealth, it’s about investing in ourselves.
“Consider the money you spend as an investment in yourself: you are buying stock in a company you believe in, you recognize your vast potential, and you want to get in on the ground floor of your achievements. The deeper you love yourself, the more the universe will affirm your worth.”
The book brings together the ideas and experiences of many successful people, and provides you with internal ingredients that will bring all wealth to you. First, work on your consciousness. Develop a mentality of wealth where you believe that you have control of your life – you are responsible for your success. To truly accept that means you can’t complain about your job, your boss, your co-workers, or other external circumstances you believe are holding you back. Don’t be a victim. Instead, invest in yourself. Do things that will help you shape your consciousness such as meditating, exercising, and other things that nourish your soul. Every moment provides an opportunity to invest in yourself, and when you invest in yourself in this way, you create a powerful consciousness, and when you have a powerful consciousness, wealth naturally flows!
Many people fail in reaching their goals because they get overwhelmed, or they are met with a lot of outside resistance and even ridicule. Cohen indicates how important persistence is, and how much further you go when you take small steps.
“Small steps are especially helpful to overachievers, who need to learn that life is less about getting somewhere, and more about being somewhere.”
I have always liked breaking things down into little steps, and reminding myself, and others, that all you need to do is keep doing. What small steps can you take today? Tomorrow? The next day? And the next?
Many Type A personalities struggle to find their place in life, to reach their goals. It’s not because they don’t work hard enough, it’s because they are too hard on themselves. Our world is high stress, high expectation, high criticism (of ourselves and of others). With all the pressure we put on ourselves, it’s easy to get overwhelmed to the point where we are unable to do anything. Cohen says we need to lighten up. Have fun with your journey. Relax into wealth. Stop nagging yourself. Stop criticizing yourself. Lighten up! Then, go all out. If you can learn to trust in yourself, believe in yourself, and invest in yourself, you will be able to relax into more wealth than you can imagine. Wealth comes from inside us, not outside.
While the book wasn’t what I thought it would be, I think I learned more from this book about creating wealth in my life than from any typical financial read.
“Because we are spiritual beings, it is the spirit of what we do that determines how much fulfillment we derive. You can be going through all the motions and doing all the appropriate and expected actions, but if you are empty or absent inside, your deeds mean little.”
