Japanese wealthy entrepreneur Ken Honda shared a story on his self-media channel that took place in Kobuchizawa, a place located in the Yatsugatake Mountains in Honshu, Japan. This story revolves around a mountain spring that has been providing pure and sweet drinking water for millions of people for centuries. However, the true value of this place lies not in the water source but in the shared wisdom passed down by the people.
Long ago, three villages depended on this mountain spring. Water, the source of life – for drinking, farming, and survival, was essential. Eventually, some began to worry: What if other villages take too much, leaving our village with insufficient water? Fueled by selfish fears, conflicts seemed imminent. At that moment, a wise warrior placed a stone in the water, dividing the flow into three, ensuring each village received its required amount of water. Thus, potential conflicts were diffused.
This mountain spring is not just a historical legend but also a profound metaphor for money and life perspectives. Ken Honda believes that many people live in a so-called “scarcity mindset.” They constantly feel resources are limited, thinking that if others have more, they will have less. Consequently, people abandon focusing on their own dreams and instead fall into the trap of competition and accumulation, tightly holding onto what they possess.
However, just like the spring in the story, wealth flows perpetually, never drying up. When we see it as an abundant source, we find peace. When we choose to share, we create more. The villagers discovered that after sharing, the water source did not diminish. With water, fields flourished, crops and vegetables grew robustly. The abundance of the water source transformed into abundance of food and life. The same principle applies to money. When you fear losing and hold on tightly, your world shrinks. But when you trust others, let wealth flow, and use money with joy and generosity, wealth grows and enriches everyone.
In his blog post titled “Let Money Flow Like Water,” Ken Honda wrote, “When money flows healthily, it can enter and exit your life effortlessly, and you never need to worry about it running dry because it springs forth endlessly like from a natural well or hot spring. Yet, we often block its flow with negative money beliefs while claiming there’s no water left to take.”
What are these negative beliefs? Such as “I can only earn enough to get by,” “I am destined to be poor for life,” or “Money is the root of all evil.”
Ken Honda believes that when our money beliefs become too rigid and negative, this negative energy freezes the flow of wealth. As your beliefs start to warm up, the ice melts, and the flow of wealth returns to a healthy state.
He says, “Truly wealthy individuals have warm hearts; their wealth evaporates freely like water. This doesn’t mean wealth disappears; on the contrary, it is so abundant that you can naturally absorb it with every breath, even without consciously focusing on it in your daily life. You don’t worry about neighbors trying to steal your breath. You pay no mind because you know the resources are enough to benefit everyone. Sharing doesn’t make you have less.”
So, ask yourself: Do I see money as a spring that will dry up? Or as a river that flows endlessly and regenerates continuously? The villagers of Kobuchizawa could have chosen fear, but they ultimately opted for fairness, trust, and harmony. This choice transformed scarcity into abundance. You too can embody the same wisdom in money, relationships, and life. The next time you fear scarcity, remember that spring.