Chapter 11

Financial Lessons

From The Road Less Traveled

If there is to be any peace

it will come through being, not having.

 —Henry Miller

Are you riding the financial train toward success? Our fiscal sensibilities and practices—for better or worse—derive from a multitude of influences and influencers. The key is to surround yourself with positive role models and teachers. As I have already shared, Grandma Ruth and my parents provided me with solid values and a robust financial foundation. But that was just the start. Several others have also dramatically influenced my personal and financial well-being through lessons they shared, lessons I believe you will profit from as well.

One such person entered my life unexpectedly during my senior year in high school thanks to my father, a successful dentist who always had a motivational cassette tape playing in his car. Yes, this was the time period between 8-tracks and CDs. The motivation/self-help craze was in full force. I would always bellow to my dad while in his car: “Dad, would you please just take out that tape and put on the FM radio? PLEASE!” One day we were on a three-hour car ride to see my grandparents in New York City. It could have been the soothing voice, being bored as the fields of the Hudson Valley passed by, or being in a mellow state of mind, but for the first time ever I found myself actually listening to the words from one of Dad’s cassettes rather than just hearing them as noise. That’s when I heard a message that, despite its simplicity, would shape my entire future.

Dr. Wayne Dyer shared that no matter how much we feel guilty about yesterday it will not change the past. No matter how much we worry about tomorrow, it will not change our future. So live today!

Despite my embarrassment, I asked Dad if I could listen to the rest of the tapes on my new Sony Walkman. From there I started running and exercising to tapes from other Dr. Dyer contemporaries, including Earl Nightingale, Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar, Denis Waitley, Roger Dawson, and Tony Robbins, on subjects such as personal finance, sales, psychology, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), motivation, excellence, and living life as an adventure.

When I went off to my freshman year of college, my dad left Dr. Dyer’s first book Erroneous Zones (not Erogenous Zones) on my bed in my dorm. I could not get enough of his message. I read every one of his books, listened to every one of his tapes. By the time I sent Dr. Dyer a letter to tell him how profoundly he had influenced my life, I had started to think of him as Wayne. I still have his response.

On graduation day from college, I wrote Wayne #1 on my cap. No one knew what it meant, but it was my way of recognizing the person who had already made such an impact on my young life.

Ten years later, in 2000, I moved to Bend, Oregon. The week my wife and I arrived in our beautiful new hometown, Wayne Dyer was speaking live at our local lecture hall. Serendipity once again! I remember Wayne touching Jill’s belly after sharing with him that we had just learned our first-born was on the way. Wayne’s quotes—including you will see it when you believe it—are featured in my brochures and plastered on the wall in my office’s reception room. He taught me critical life lessons that shaped me at a young age. Over the last 25 years, those have served me, my clients, and our respective bottom lines. May the insights in this chapter, which largely started with Wayne and which have continued to develop with the help of other gurus in and out of the financial world, work for you as well as they have for me and all those who are important to me both personally and professionally.

My wife, Jill, and me with Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, 2000.

Defining True Wealth

Perhaps the most important lesson I’ve incorporated into my life has been how to define my true wealth. Before making the conscious decision to settle down, raise a family, purchase a home, and start my financial firm, my previous business had empowered me to create a lifestyle for myself that enabled me to spend a month in each of 65 different countries around the world. This concept was introduced to me in Roger Dawson’s tape series titled Making Your Life an Adventure. Most of my sojourns took my one-man tent and me to developing countries throughout South and Central America, Southeast Asia, and Africa.

Teaching school children about money in Sipi Falls, Uganda, 1995.

This was a time to learn about diverse cultures and political viewpoints, as well as about new ways to grow a profitable business with a focus on people and our environment. In the process, I also learned about my relationship to money and certainly about myself.

At first, I considered the gracious people and gregarious children in small villages such as on Taveuni, Fiji; Bukit Lawang, Sumatra; and Sipi Falls, Uganda, to be poor. After all, they lived in diminutive houses with dirt floors and no windows. Families didn’t have cars, televisions, iPods, or IRAs, but I quickly realized that most of the villagers were undeniably happy. While most Americans mistakenly observed these villagers’ lives as grueling and arduous, the villagers always seemed to smile a great deal, enjoy each other’s company, and work together in harmony. Although these fun and easygoing locals owned very few of the creature comforts that Americans have become accustomed to, were they actually poor?

Helping to prepare dinner in Taveuini, Fiji, 1991.

Can you imagine if I shared stories of the markets in my home country piled with food flown in from around the world, stories of doctors who gave out pills to stop people from eating, and stories of cars so abundant that they clogged the roads and slowed the traffic to the pace of a bicycle? They would never have believed me. And if they finally did, they might have considered us rich, but would they truly have considered us wealthy?

I pondered then, and continue to wonder, whether American problems stem from having too much, rather than too little. And because of these problems, we have what most call stress, a concept the villagers I lived with had never heard of. Being rich and being wealthy seem to be synonymous. However, I would argue that there’s a big difference between the two. We all know people who have accumulated significant money in their lives but who just aren’t joyful. They may have numerous failed relationships and children who don’t talk to them. I would consider these people to be rich but certainly not wealthy, as I feel that true wealth comes from a grounded place in the heart. You also may know people who face financial challenges but are genuinely happy, with many close friends and a passion for life. These people have wealth in their lives even though they have not accumulated riches. This lesson would quickly be reinforced once back in the States.

Shortly after returning home following a life-changing, six-month stint in East Africa, I visited a chic restaurant and witnessed an aggravated woman send back her ahi tuna steak because it had been cooked medium instead of medium-rare. Later I watched a man struggle over whether to order a fruit plate for dessert and stick to his diet or splurge on an ice-cream sundae dripping with caramel and piled with pecans.

Does any of this sound familiar? I, too, am often faced with such dilemmas. But then I think about the villagers’ lives. Imagine eating cassava, also known as manioc or yuca, at every meal. Do you know what cassava is? You will be hard-pressed to see it in American grocery stores, but it is a staple throughout developing countries around the globe. On the outside, it looks a little like a woody shrub; it tastes like a tough, extra-starchy potato. Cassava is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical regions because its edible root provides a major source of carbohydrates. The folks in the villages had learned to cook it creatively. They boiled it, fried it, beat it to a pulp and dipped it in sauce. But every day it was still cassava. Over time I grew so accustomed to it that I ceased to taste it at all. Although I am glad my diet doesn’t consist of cassava, I’m very aware that I don’t need the abundance of food that presents itself in the United States. And that has impacted not only my day-to-day choices and my financial future, but also my sense of well-being.

Can Less Be More?

Some of my clients who are saving for their retirement dreams have shared with me that although they are working harder than ever before and have successfully increased their standard of living, they are feeling less fulfilled. Many are diligently striving to acquire things and build wealth for their family. This is a dignified ambition and my job is to help guide them so they can eventually live the life they have always imagined. Many of us share similar goals, but I think it is important to ask ourselves whether this path of accumulating possessions is truly leading to a life of abundance and contentment.

I will be the first to admit that it is satisfying to have some of the niceties of life. However, I also find myself pondering whether having more is better. Does it truly bring greater happiness into our lives? I observe people who must work harder and harder to support their acquisitions, which generates a great deal of stress in their lives. If we set a goal to acquire possessions, it is important that we build a gap between the costs of servicing these acquisitions and the income we are earning.

I recently read a story called “Life Is Like a Cup of Coffee.” This narrative has a powerful message that I want to share with you:

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups—porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite—telling his guests to help themselves.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups have been taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

“Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups...And then you began eyeing each other’s cups. Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money, and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define or change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee. Savor the coffee, not the cups! The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.”

Warren Buffett, widely regarded as one of the wealthiest and most successful investors in the world, says much the same thing. “The happiest people do not necessarily have the best things,” he asserts. “They simply appreciate the things they have.” Buffett still lives in the same three-bedroom house in mid-town Omaha that he bought after getting married 50 years ago. He says that he has everything he needs in that house, which is not walled or fenced in. He preaches that we shouldn’t buy more than what we really need. He drives his own car everywhere he goes, having forgone a driver and security people. And although he owns the world’s largest private jet company, he always flies commercial airlines.

Like Buffett, I believe that one of the keys to life is living below your means in order to have the time to be happy. Another is finding a way to reduce your stress and increase your joy. So when my meal arrives a little overcooked or I have to choose between ice cream and fruit, I give thanks for the life I have. When was the last time you took a moment out of your busy schedule to give thanks for all that you have? Gratitude is the direct gateway to happiness and the indirect route to financial plenty, since it helps us to celebrate what we have rather than focusing on what we don’t.

An Attitude of Gratitude

Wayne Dyer often talks about the importance of being grateful for what we already have in our lives. By focusing on what we’re grateful for, more of that very thing comes into our lives. Why? As I’ve mentioned previously, what we think about expands. This applies just as much to money as anything else.

To help me remember to be grateful, I carry a gratitude stone with me most of the time. I also offer gratitude stones to all my clients and to audiences who attend my speaking engagements. What is a gratitude stone, you ask? It is a small stone that you carry with you in your pocket or purse or leave on your desk at work. The idea is to put it in a place where you are likely to come in contact with it throughout your day. Each time you see or touch the stone, it will act as a small reminder to you to be grateful. I find this to be most beneficial during challenging times. Think of it as your tool to attract good thoughts.

In the morning as I get ready to leave for work, my thoughts are often already on my activities for the day. I put on my watch, grab my smart phone, wallet, car keys, and lastly my black onyx gratitude stone. It is my reminder to stop for just a brief moment and ask myself, “What am I thankful for at this moment?” It is amazing how that slows me down, grounds me and shifts my outlook. Each time I see or touch this
ancient rock throughout the day, I’m reminded to be grateful for what I have today and for what will come tomorrow.

As I’ve mentioned before, I am a true believer that what we think about expands. That’s why it’s so important to be appreciative of what we have achieved. That’s fairly easy during the good times. Showing gratitude, however, is even more important when facing extreme hardships.

Shifting Financial Priorities

In March 2011, earthquakes, a tsunami, and a nuclear disaster took a toll on the people of Japan as well as on their already beleaguered financial markets. Clearly, the largest recorded earthquake in that nation’s history has brought daunting new challenges to the social and economic fabric of Japan. Just weeks earlier, my wife’s homeland of New Zealand had been rocked by the worst earthquake in its history, which leveled most of beautiful downtown Christchurch. In October 2012, the United States experienced tragedy as Hurricane Sandy, the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, hammered the Northeast’s coastal towns. A year later, a two-mile wide tornado flattened Moore, an Oklahoma City suburb.

Life’s priorities take on a starkly different cast after such devastating tragedies. “I realize how much I have wasted,” Ms. Kusaka, a Japanese citizen stated to a New York Times reporter as she hurried with her boyfriend through empty streets in the normally glittering Ginza shopping district where two weeks after the earthquake streetlamps were still darkened to save electricity. “This whole incident has changed people’s outlooks,” she added. Indeed, analysts affirm that the triple disaster has jolted the Japanese into a new reality, sapping the materialistic, feel-good-at-any-cost spirit and replacing it with a focus on helping others and a back-to-basics mood.

No place on earth is safe from natural disasters or economic cycles. They are inevitable. We know they will happen and we know that planning and accumulated knowledge can help minimize the totality of damage. That approach works with investing. Shifting one’s financial priorities is essential in today’s new world economy. Let’s face it: The real measure of wealth is our peace of mind, family, friends and the legacy we leave to others. This applies to companies as much as individuals, since they too leave a legacy.

Spiritual Capitalism

It is both sad and unfortunate to read in the news how often a company or CEO gets indicted for improper or unethical conduct. Examples include companies that knowingly import toys with lead paint, CEOs who embezzle money from their company or falsify business records, or oil companies that don’t take responsibility for environmental catastrophes they’ve caused. The question of ethics has become a heightened one as we witness the scandalous behavior of so many companies in recent years. Maybe these companies should start focusing on a concept I have been reading about lately called Spiritual Capitalism.

Ode Magazine writes:

Spiritual Capitalism doesn’t mean prayer sessions on the factory floor and guided meditations in the boardroom. At least it doesn’t have to. What it does mean is the success of an enterprise is measured by values like ‘integrity’ and ‘commitment’ as much as by targets like ‘efficiency’ and ‘profitability. Whether you’re the CEO of a major multinational company or the head of your own small firm, you are in the service industry, and the services rendered must benefit not just yourself and your shareholders, but the planet and other people as well.

Spiritual capitalism enriches our quality of life, creates a healthier and more engaged populace, and ultimately creates new markets. “Many companies today overlook the tremendous value added to their bottom line when they are not willing or able to do what is necessary to structure and maintain what might be termed best-practice work cultures,” Jim Lee told me. Lee is a former executive director of Abilitree, a non-profit organization in Bend, Oregon, that helps empower those with disabilities to grow their independence. The focus for anyone looking to incorporate spirituality in business needs to be on more than just financial success. The focus should be on doing the right thing for your customers and clients as well as for your community.

Spiritual capitalism should also be a consideration in how we work with our employees. Many employees have unfortunately experienced employers with the mindset that their employees are fortunate to have any employment during difficult economic times. These employers offer what many consider to be very low wages with little to no benefits. Even though we have been walking in the shadow of a serious recession, other employers believe that embracing values like compassion and sincere care for employees is a smart business move, since a happier employee is a more productive employee.

I believe that any employer who contributes to the prosperity of his or her staff and the world around them will prosper in turn. Take Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, two successful capitalists who measure their success by more than just corporate profits. Ben & Jerry’s, their famous ice cream company from Vermont, was founded on—and remains dedicated to—a sustainable corporate concept of linked prosperity with a focus on its employees, the community, and its consumers. The company’s mission consists of three interrelated parts: product mission, economic mission, and social mission. Central to Ben & Jerry’s over-arching mission is the belief that all three parts must thrive equally in a manner that commands deep respect for individuals in and outside the company and supports the communities of which they are a part. The company’s social mission focuses on operating the organization in a way that actively recognizes the central role business plays in society. They do this by initiating innovative ways to improve the quality of life locally, nationally, and internationally. Ben & Jerry’s foundation gives millions of dollars annually to charitable causes that support the founding values of the company.

The Calvert Group is another company demonstrating that a company’s spiritual culture not only makes a very positive impact on our world, it spawns a competitive advantage. In 1982, the company created socially responsible mutual funds that exclude tobacco, alcohol, firearms, and other harmful products from their investment portfolios. Today, Calvert has expanded its focus. In addition to eliminating companies that are injurious, it searches for companies that go out of their way to do good. Over the years, more and more of my clients have asked for socially responsible investments.

This has certainly been an area where money and spirit meet. The late Earl Nightingale, author of The Strangest Secret, stated: “We are at our very best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we’ve established for ourselves. It gives meaning to our time off and comfort to our sleep. It makes everything else in life so wonderful, so worthwhile.” By focusing on doing the right things for others and our community, we can all flourish and keep spiritual capitalism alive. This will benefit everyone in the long run, whether climbing a mountain or pursuing your quest toward financial self- actualization.

“How You Climb a Mountain Is More Important Than Reaching the Top”

My mom, my dad, and Yvon Chouinard—the founder and owner of Patagonia, the world-renowned outdoor clothing and equipment company—have always seen eye to eye. My parents taught me early in life to do things right. I was fortunate to grow up in beautiful Upstate New York. Many people seem to think that Upstate means the northern portion of Manhattan when in reality Upstate New York is an outdoor lover’s paradise located a few hours north of New York City. Its Adirondack State Park is the largest state park in the country with six million acres of spectacular
wilderness, over 4,000 bodies of water, and more ski areas than any other region of the country. It was home to the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics in majestic Lake Placid. It was also the place where I learned to rock climb on the granite walls of the Adirondacks.

Although I have always had a fear of heights, over the years, as my technique has improved, I have learned to trust my equipment, climbing partners, and myself as long as I don’t focus on the drop below me. While the exhilarating feeling of accomplishment when I reach the top of a climb keeps me coming back for more, the camaraderie is what I most enjoy. John Krog, my climbing mentor and early rock-climbing guide at Smith Rock, Oregon, would preach that the biggest muscle one needs in rock climbing is the one between your ears. I could not agree more as you must stay focused, not give up, and forge ahead even when you may feel there is no way to get past the most challenging section known as the crux.

Speaking of cruxes, my ultimate rock climbing adventure happened in Yosemite National Park during the spring of 2009 with John and two other climbing partners, Matt Gadow and Jim Gross. In all my travels around the world I have never been to a more majestic place. Yosemite is one of the world’s greatest big-wall climbing areas. Although our group had considerable experience climbing multi-pitch routes, unlike so many who travel from all over the world to attempt the multi-day accents we were not world-class climbers. Even so, our goal was to climb Sunnyside Bench to the right side of Yosemite Falls. That certainly got my attention, as I have never been 700 feet off the deck!

In Yosemite, 2009.

Another hub I spent time learning to climb was the Shawangunk Ridge, also known as The Gunks. This rock-climbing mecca of the East is located in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. This is where Chouinard was the first to free climb the first pitch of Matinee in the early 1960s. Free climbing is where the climber uses only hands, feet and other parts of the body to ascend. No ropes are involved. At the time, his route was considered the toughest climb at The Gunks even for those using ropes.

Today, Chouinard’s photo hangs prominently in my office conference room not simply because he was a rock-climbing pioneer with many first ascents, but because no one embodies spiritual capitalism more for me than this legendary rock climber, environmentalist, and businessman. Patagonia is one of the most respected and environmentally responsible companies anywhere because of its leader.

Chouinard has always epitomized social and environmental responsibility. In the early 1970s when Chouinard became aware that the steel pitons he had developed were causing significant damage to the rocks he and his partners regularly climbed, he revolutionized the sport by introducing aluminum gear that would not cause destruction to rock faces. Imagine what our world would look like if more businessmen followed his conscientious lead.

In one of my favorite books, Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman, Chouinard shares his stories of first ascents including the North American Wall on Yosemite’s El Capitan. This colossal section in the middle part of this 3,000-foot granite monolith resembles the shape of our continent. The route was considered the most technically challenging in all of the Yosemite Valley and possibly the world. Previously considered impossible to climb, Chouinard scaled this wall in 1964 using no fixed ropes! After experiencing the Yosemite Fall climb, I have the utmost respect for Chouinard and his contemporaries who pioneered big-wall climbing in Yosemite.

Chouinard’s book is more than just a series of epic escapades. It is the story of a man who focused on doing the right thing for his employees, his customers, and the environment. Chouinard was one of the first to set standards with employee-friendly guidelines. In 1984, Patagonia began offering its employees on-site child care. A company cafeteria was opened providing “healthy, mostly vegetarian food” and his employees were compensated for volunteering on local projects that benefitted the environment. At the time, this was unheard of in corporate America. However, Chouinard’s principles would prove profitable not only for himself, but for many of those he dealt with. When an environmental assessment of Patagonia in the early 90s revealed the unforeseen result that cotton had turned into an ominously harmful product for the environment, Chouinard committed Patagonia to using all pesticide-free cotton. This new demand created the organic cotton industry in California.

Patagonia annually contributes the greater of 1 percent of sales or 10 percent of profits to different environmental causes. The approach has led this new style of responsible business to annual revenue of $230 million. According to Fortune magazine, Chouinard is possibly the most successful outdoor industry businessman alive today. Meanwhile, Chouinard identifies himself as more of “a climber, a surfer, a kayaker, a skier, and a blacksmith” than a CEO.

How many leading entrepreneurs would say, “The Lee Iacoccas, Donald Trumps, and Jack Welches of the business world are heroes to no one except other businessmen with similar values”? It is interesting how, years ago, I devoured Iacocca’s An Autobiography, Trump’s Art of the Deal, and Welch’s The GE Way. At the time these three business leaders were champions in my mind. Although I admire what each has been able to accomplish in their business careers, today I have far greater respect for men like Yvon Chouinard and Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield than I do Wall Street titans who all too often focus more on share price and executive bonuses than on people.

Chouinard, Cohen, and Greenfield embody a soulfulness that is often missing in today’s business world. They are connected to family, friends, employees, and customers as well as to the environment. And they’ve profited as a result. Many of us, however, can be connected in other ways that are not so helpful.

We Are So Connected That We Are
Disconnected

Are we teaching our children by example to be disconnected from their environment? A few years ago I had an opportunity to be a chaperone for my daughter’s class trip to Crater Lake National Park. This is a place of immeasurable beauty that doubles as an outstanding outdoor laboratory and classroom. The majestic, deep blue lake fills a 2,000-foot volcanic caldera with sheer surrounding cliffs and two picturesque islands. The moment we entered the bus for the two-hour ride to the park, I noticed that almost every child had tuned into his or her iPod, Game Boy or DS video game. Many of the young children even had their own cell phones. There was no conversing with each other. Their focus was not on telling stories or playing games together but on using these electronic devices to withdraw from one another and the events of the day. I felt an overwhelming sadness as I questioned whether many children of today are missing out on their childhoods. I asked myself, Are seven year olds going on seventeen already? How will this affect their future? Will they ever learn the essential skills of communication? What will this mean for our future society?

I embrace technology and how it benefits us in countless ways, but I began to ponder its potential side effects. The original purpose of technology was to increase productivity so that we could have more time. Today we are moving through life faster than ever before, but do we really have more time? Are our children by-products of our appetite for speed? Tom Monaghan, the founder of Dominos, began his pizza empire by guaranteeing delivery in 30 minutes or less or the pie was free. He states that his company is in the delivery business and not the pizza business. I certainly agree with him; most of us have not ordered Dominos because it is gourmet but because it fulfills our need for speed. Are we feeding our fast-paced existence to where it is only satisfied when it gets more adrenaline flowing? What are our children learning from us?

This reminds me of the story of a son and his dad. The dad always brought his briefcase home from the office and this confused the son. The son said: “Dad, why is it that when you come home from work you always bring your briefcase?” The father replied that it was because he could not get all of his work done at the office. The little boy said: “Dad, can’t they put you in a slower group?”

The truth is that some of us probably need to be put into a slower group. And we certainly need to move into a slower group and decompress on vacation.

Life Lessons From the Big Island

My wife Jill and I recently visited the Big Island of Hawaii as we had heard that it was the most tranquil of this Pacific Island chain and best maintained the “aloha spirit,” which is the charm, warmth, and sincerity that Hawaii’s people are known for.

Aside from a flight over the active Kilauea volcano, better known to the Hawaiians as Pele, the Goddess of Fire, there were no tourist attractions we needed to check off a list. No luaus or hula dancers for us. Instead, it was all about getting away, enjoying nature and each other’s company.

I am a planner. It is what I do for a living. But the only thing I planned for this tropical retreat was to be disengaged from the work I love. This was to be a vacation by design rather than by default. It would be a time to slow down. I knew it would take a couple of days to ease into the pace of island life, but I was full of pride as I set my e-mail on auto response. I would not be online all week.

I was determinedly disconnected, but this was not the case with many of the visitors to this serene island. Each morning we awoke to the rising sun and the sounds of the sea. While relishing the ocean views from our lanai, we noticed a young father pushing a baby cart on the pathway below with one hand while responding to e-mails on his smart phone with the other. I felt sad as I recognized that he was not experiencing the important things right in front of him. Did he even see the Honu (Hawaiian Green Turtles) sleeping on the sand? What about the vibrant Apapane flying from palm tree to palm tree? He was not connecting to nature and most importantly he was not connecting to his child.

After the sun had risen, the aroma of 100 percent Kona coffee led us to the resort’s open-air coffee shop. I immediately understood why this delectable morning delight comes at such a premium. We sat on the couch overlooking a tranquil pond of Koi. Most of the café’s patrons had a laptop or tablet in hand. E-mails were being answered. Some people were reading the Wall Street Journal or their home newspaper online. Others were posting photos on Facebook. Although their intent may have been to leave their fast-paced lifestyle at home, they were continuing to be connected, which actually disconnected them from their present surroundings.

Jack Johnson, the Hawaiian singer-songwriter, sings about his fear of a tech-addicted future in his latest acoustic number “Ones and Zeros.” In a recent Rolling Stone interview he states: “I see girls on the beach that never let go of their phones. It’s kind of crazy. We’re all accepting this idea that kids are constantly moving their fingers around these little flat screens. Is it worth it? Do we let books just slide away?”

It’s not easy for most of us to disconnect. As I witnessed on the school bus, it is easy to spot how our children pick up on our habits. But we can choose to slow down and smell the air and the dirt as well as the flowers. By making a conscious decision to disconnect, I began to feel liberated and in flow with life like the molten lava we had viewed flowing into the sea just days earlier. This is what the Aloha spirit is all about.

The Aloha Spirit

The Aloha Spirit of Hawaii is the harmonization of mind and heart within each person. It refers to a powerful way to resolve any problem, accomplish any goal, and to achieve any state of mind or body that you desire. By being overly connected to the world, we can actually become disconnected to the things that matter in our lives. I hope you’ll take action to reduce your information intake. Do it and you’ll find yourself with much greater peace of mind and time to spare. You’ll have internalized a bit of the Aloha Spirit that guides the lives of so many Hawaiians.

I have always found it intriguing that hundreds of Hawaiians have moved to Central Oregon over the years. Could it be our volcanic landscape that reminds them of the islands? Could it be the attitude of friendly acceptance for which Central Oregon and the Hawaiian Islands are both known? Bill Keale is one of Central Oregon’s most celebrated and beloved musicians, recognized for his beautiful voice and Slack Key Guitar skills. He is a native Hawaiian who comes from a long lineage of legendary musicians such as his Uncle Moe Keale and cherished cousin Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, better recognized as Bruddah IZ. IZ’s voice became famous outside Hawaii with his medley of Over the Rainbow and What a Wonderful World. Bill sings a version of IZ’s heartwarming yet sad song titled Hawaii 1978, which profoundly shares how he believes King Kamehameha and his wife would feel if they were still alive today and saw the Islands in their present state.

Contemporary Hawaii is a far cry from its past. Development remains a huge issue and land prices are out of reach for much of the native population. The Islands’ limited natural resources are being seriously tapped. The reflective lyrics sum up the problem:

How would they feel about the changes of our land? Could you just imagine if they were around and saw highways on their sacred grounds? How would they feel about modern city life? Tears would come from each others’ eyes as they would stop to realize that our people are in great danger now.

Too many of us suffer from that same threat of over-development that’s sucking the life out of us. No amount of money can help when that happens.

Gerry Lopez is another prominent Hawaiian to call Bend, Oregon, home. He is a legendary surfing icon who led the short-board revolution surfing craze of the early 1970s. He won the Pipeline Masters of Oahu’s North Shore competition in 1972 and 1973, which has since been named the Gerry Lopez Pipeline Masters. I was given his autobiography of entertaining stories, Surf Is Where You Find It, to read on my Hawaiian vacation. His writings resonated with me and my grow­ing concerns for our society: “Surfing happens best when it’s the present; the past is behind and the future not yet. The only thing of interest is what’s here and now.” This is a timeless message from an icon for the soul of surfing. Today Gerry owns a successful surf and paddleboard company. With his Aloha spirit and focus on spiritual capitalism, he has been as successful with his company as he was in his earlier surfing career.

Working hard and having a strong work ethic is very important, but I find that one of the best ways to grow a strong business—or one’s assets—is to do so while still keeping a reasonable pace in one’s life. I hear people say that someday their life will settle down. I do not believe this will automatically happen. Settling life down is a choice. Do you remember Wayne Dyer’s message? Remember yesterday, dream about tomorrow but live today. Those words can serve you—and your finances—well as long as you can get out of your own way.