Mindfulness: How to Have a Better Relationship With Your Money

Money. The word itself has a power of its own. It can induce feelings and start a train of thought instantly. Unfortunately, often these feelings and thoughts are negative and stressful. We believe that achieving a healthy relationship with money is necessary because it''s attached, in some way, to almost every aspect of our lives. In reality, most people have enough money, even after the recent market collapse. What they don''t have is the level of calm, clarity, and focus required to live peacefully with money. Mindfulness can help achieve that.

The Mindful Investor is an indispensable guide for individual investors, business people, and professionals who are looking for a better way to manage their money.
-From the Preface

 Praise for The Mindful Investor

"As The Mindful Investor suggests, what''s often needed most is not more money, but more perspective about money. Starting where Maria and Graham have suggested-at the end-is a great way to look back from a place when money truly won''t matter anymore, and I can''t think of a better first step to take when planning for today."
-Scott Kriens, Chairman, Juniper Networks

"Having seen many thousands of business books over the course of my professional life, I was delighted to discover that The Mindful Investor offers a refreshing new approach to personal finance. Having benefited personally from Maria''s teaching of Mindfulness meditation techniques, I can say that this is a book whose time has come and a must-read for anyone looking for an alternative to the madness of the markets."
-Jane Cooney, President, Books for Business

"What a breath of fresh air. The world would be a better place if everyone used the tools and processes outlined in this easy-to-read, inspiring, and practical book."
-Rob Quartly, Juno Award Winning Filmmaker and Entrepreneur

Meditation and Money Do Mix...No Chanting or Patchouli Required

The most recent market meltdown saw trillions of dollars disappear from the North American economy, and the financial markets drop more than 44% from their highs. Daily volatility was immense, with swings of up to 1,000 points in a single day. A vicious cycle of fear and greed caused panic and suffering for individual investors, investment advisors, and pension fund managers alike.

The Mindful Investor shows you how to use a single tool-Mindfulness meditation-to achieve clarity, focus, and peace of mind with your finances. Oprah, Eckhart Tolle, Phil Jackson, and Tiger Woods have done much to bring meditation out of the mystic shadows and into the mainstream. Google even offers meditation classes to employees. In this book, you will learn how to use Mindfulness and how to combine it with sound financial planning principles-no chanting or patchouli required.

• Replace greed and desperation with calm and focus when considering your finances.
• Make money work for you, rather than being controlled by your money.
• Create your own definition of financial success.
• Stay focused on what matters, and be level-headed about what you can''t control.
• Learn the basics of Mindfulness meditation, including the five hindrances to success.
• Acquire simple Mindfulness techniques you can use anytime, anywhere to create calm and focus at will, see clearly under stressful conditions, and make better financial decisions.

Maria Gonzalez, BCom, MBA, is a 30-year business veteran who believes that Mindfulness transforms lives. As founder and president of Argonauta Strategic Alliances Consulting Inc., she ensures that Mindfulness is indistinguishable from her business, whether negotiating complex strategic alliances, coaching business leaders to use Mindfulness in their lives and businesses or coaching organizations to function more effectively through Mindfulness. She has been meditating regularly since 1991 and teaching Mindfulness since 2002.
Maria has taught Strategy and Organization Development at Mc Gill University''s Desautels Faculty of Management. Over the last two decades she has served on numerous boards and has been a member of the Corporate Advisory Board for the Harvard Medical School - MacArthur Foundation''s study on depression and workplace performance. She is a founding member and Vice Chair of the Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addictions and Mental Health.

Graham Byron, CFP, has been an Investment Advisor and Certified Financial Planner (CFP) for more than 20 years. He has co-authored two other books on financial planning, including the best-selling CARP Financial Planning Guide. Graham believes that applying Mindfulness to money is critical at this turning point in our financial lives. Approaching the financial planning process with calm awareness allows investors to make good decisions and enjoy their wealth.