The Having

Description

In this groundbreaking book, a #1 bestseller in South Korea, a financial guru shares the secret to building your fortune using your emotion and opens the door to a new world full of hope and prosperity.
 
When Wharton MBA Jooyun Hong went searching for the key to increasing wealth in a time of growing inequality, she did not expect to find herself studying under a famed and fascinating guru, known for advising the 1% of South Korea. She now shares what she learned from the guru in this life-changing narrative, and it starts with a simple emotion she calls Having.
 
Suh Yoon Lee, a magnetic woman in her thirties, was identified as a guru at the age of six and set off on a course of study ranging from classical Asian texts to economics to an analysis of 100,000 case studies to reveal the true secrets of growing rich. A bestselling author and insightful thinker sought after by the richest people in the nation, Suh Yoon Lee retreated into seclusion, troubled by the impact her guidance to the wealthy may have on income disparity. When Jooyun wrote to the guru for an interview, Suh Yoon invited her to Lake Como, Italy. There, they started a conversation about how everyday people can achieve their financial goals more easily and quickly by living in synch with their true emotions.
 
In destinations ranging from Paris to Kyoto, this philosophical journey lays out a framework for achieving an empowered relationship with money. The guru has found that almost everyone has the capacity to earn 3 to 7 million dollars—and some have a capacity for much more. As Jooyun applies the guru’s practical but revolutionary insights to her everyday life—including journaling about the emotions that accompany spending money—she experiences a transformation of her mood, fulfillment, and ultimately, her net worth. By changing your emotions about money, you can make every purchase a step toward becoming your true self.
 
Having is the power that attracts wealth, and this incredible series of lessons will guide you to claim that power in your own life. Learn to feel what you already have, and you’ll be able to have so much more.SUH YOON LEE, “the guru to the rich,” has analyzed both the wisdom in Asian classical texts and 100,000 case studies to discover how to become truly rich. Starting in her mid-twenties, she published books about the mindset of becoming wealthy and prominent weekly publications in Korea began seeking her out for interviews, ultimately increasing her fame as a “teacher to the wealthy.” She has advised most of the founders and the first generations of the largest conglomerates in Korea, some of which have grown into globally renowned corporations. She has consulted with numerous owners and top executives of the top 100 companies in Korea.

JOOYUN HONG is an award-winning former journalist with 10 years of experience writing for prominent Korean publications. She also has an MBA in finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Until recently, she worked at McKinsey & Company as a director of external relations.

1 

The Guru 

Soon after my father died, I celebrated my fortieth birthday. After I reached forty and suffered my father’s death, my life seemed different. I had come from a middle-class family, studied at a top university, and worked for ten years as a journalist at one of the country’s largest newspapers. I finished an MBA degree at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and was now in charge of external relations at an American company. My life was neither extremely successful nor a great failure. I got steady pay and enough recognition from my jobs, was married to a warm-hearted man who was a public servant, and had one son. I didn’t worry about living in poverty, but I also didn’t live a life of ease free of financial concerns.

But I was living inflexibly. My friends with rich doctor or lawyer husbands or inheritances lived leisurely lives, but I didn’t freely use even $10. When the newspapers were delivered, I’d clip supermarket coupons and rush to pick up discounted meat or fish put out near closing time. I always compared the fuel prices at various gas stations while driving. When I bought things for my son, I spent hours searching the Internet for the lowest price. I couldn’t accept buying higher-priced items. I insisted on getting refunds by sending receipts to the shopping mall or department store and would stay on the phone for hours to get them.

Although I lived frugally, my salary disappeared from my bank account. Rather than having financial stability, I was just relieved if I wasn’t in deficit. I always felt nervous. My life had always been filled with sacrificing today for tomorrow. When would tomorrow arrive? If someone were to ask whether I wanted to keep living this way, I’d have a very firm answer for them: No!

So after my father’s death, I looked for the best way to get rich. I read widely, and, drawing on my background as a journalist, I visited experts to ask them for the best techniques to gain wealth, but they all gave the same answer: The stairway to becoming rich had crumbled.

“As Thomas Piketty wrote, capital growth rate has overtaken the economic growth rate. No matter how diligent you are, you can no longer overtake people with an inheritance.” 

“Development of artificial intelligence or robots will reduce employment. Only some capitalists will become even wealthier, and normal people will become poorer.”

On my search, I met many young adults as well. They were also desperately seeking answers to the same question I was.

“The older generations say their salaries must be saved for their retirement period. But I don’t want to sacrifice my youth for the future.”

“After I get my salary and pay rent, repay my student loan, and pay for my living expenses, there’s nothing left. Getting married and having children will cost even more. I don’t think I’ll be able to spend much money on myself or buy a house in the future. 

“Why are there more people with sudden wealth even if they say it’s becoming difficult to be rich? What’s their secret? Will I ever become rich?”

Finally, after facing discouragement wherever I looked, someone told me there was only one person in the world who could definitely answer my question: “the Guru of the rich.” Once I heard that idea, I kicked myself, because ten years earlier I had met this Guru. 

At the end of 2006, I was a journalist working as part of a newspaper’s weekend team, looking for news items I could write about for light weekend reading. At a wine gathering with other journalists, I heard a story about “a Guru for wealthy people” named Suh Yoon Lee. This woman, whom every well-known rich person wanted to meet, was only in her twenties and had graduated from a prestigious university. At age six, she had already learned the classic Asian study of destiny that foresees people’s fate based on date and time of birth, called the “Four Pillars.” They said she had mastered major Eastern and Asian classics and analyzed data from thousands of people to acquire her own insight. And her books about wealth all made the bestseller lists.

“Wow! She sounds fascinating. Tell me more about this Guru,” I exclaimed.

My colleague took a sip of wine and kept talking. “Do you know what the most fascinating part is? Every single person who meets her feels as if they’ve met someone different.” I felt thirsty with curiosity upon hearing this. He said, “Some say she resembles a wise teacher, while others say she’s more like a witch luring people in, and others call her an innocent girl. I heard a few men succumbed to her magnetism and even worship this Guru. Of course, the Guru doesn’t give them a chance.” 

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. But everyone who meets her agrees on one thing. They say their lives have changed. According to them, they seized luck and opportunity and eventually got richer.” 

My gut told me that this could be a great story. I desperately wanted to meet her and figure out what kind of person she was. Just hearing the story made me think it would be a big hit with readers. I made a call to get an appointment.

On the day of the interview, I was waiting for her in the lobby of a building. Sure enough, someone soon entered through a large glass door. There are some moments in life that you can remember as if they happened yesterday, with vivid memories of the atmosphere, air, and sound. I’ll never forget the first moment I saw Suh Yoon. 

I couldn’t see her face clearly at first, but I could recognize at a glance that she was the Guru. The entire atmosphere around her was different, even mystical, as if shrouded by an early-morning fog. That was the first and only time I’ve felt that way about anyone. Subconsciously nervous, I stood rooted to the spot as if turned to stone. 

Suh Yoon came up to me and offered her hand for a handshake. Her hand startled me–it was fragile enough to awaken a protective instinct in me. 

“You must be Ms. Hong. Nice to meet you.” 

I began speaking hesitantly. “Oh . . . hello . . . How should I address you . . . ?”

“You can just call me by my first name.”

There was a sweet and musical quality to her voice. Her posture was elegant and dignified, and she had unusually skinny arms and legs on a willowy frame. She had a milky, round face and a chiseled nose, and her almond-shaped eyes twinkled as she smiled. Although she wasn’t a typical beauty, her appearance was bewitching. She was in her late twenties but appeared much younger, apart from her eyes, which were piercing.

The interview that day felt like magic. I was lost in my conversation with Suh Yoon and barely noticed anything else around me. Suh Yoon astonished me with her insight. She led the conversation, making every word count, and offered wise answers and mild consolation in words that were easy to understand.

While wrapping up our conversation, I asked, “What are your future plans?”

“I’ve accumulated cases of rich people around the world and I’m analyzing the correlation between wealth and attitude based on that.”

“Whoa, that sounds fascinating. That analysis could reveal the secret to becoming rich!”

Suh Yoon gently held my hand and said, “You may not realize it yet, Ms. Hong, but you are still trapped in a cage. If you decide to free yourself from that cage, within ten years, we will be reunited.” 

I didn’t understand what her words meant, so I didn’t pay much attention to them. But now, ten years later, her mention of reunion rang vividly in my ears like music.

Where would she be now? Would she even remember what she told me?

CA

Additional information

Weight	12.4 oz
Dimensions	0.8900 × 5.7600 × 8.5200 in
Imprint	Harmony
Format	General Trade
ISBN-13	09781524763411
ISBN-10	1524763411
Author	Jooyun Hong, Suh Yoon Lee
Audience	General / adult
BISAC	SEL027000, BUS050030
Subjects	inspirational books for women, positive thinking, money, decision making, financial planning, how to be happy, business books, self help books for women, self improvement books, motivational books, finance books, spiritual books, financial books, success books, retirement planning, how to get rich, how to make money, mindful money, wealth, SEL027000, success, business, self help, mindfulness, intuition, creativity, motivation, self improvement, investing, BUS050030, self help books, emotional intelligence, korea, self care, personal finance