In this episode, William Green speaks with Michael Berg, a great scholar & author who draws on the ancient wisdom of Kabbalah to explore how we can build lives that are truly richer, wiser, & happier. Here, Michael discusses how to extract more pleasure from whatever wealth you have; why sharing your money & time builds a greater sense of abundance; how to support your kids without sapping their desire to succeed; why deferred gratification is a superpower in business & life; how to handle challenges & adversity; & why the real key to happiness is appreciation.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

00:00 - Intro

17:01 - Why Michael Berg sees no conflict between a spiritual life & material success.

20:17 - How our own actions open or close the “channels of abundance.”

22:38 - Why Sir John Templeton called tithing “the single best investment.”

32:44 - Why Charlie Munger reveres Maimonides, a 12th-century sage & doctor.

39:39 - How to extract more pleasure from whatever wealth we have. 

48:37 - Why it’s helpful to recognize that we don’t truly own anything.

55:29 - How appreciation helps Howard Marks to stay humble & be happy.

59:00 - Why many rich people are surprisingly unhappy.

1:15:51 - How to build joyful abundance by sharing your time & money.

1:23:15 - How to help your kids without disempowering them.

1:26:14 - Why delayed gratification is essential in business, investing, & life.

1:35:45 - How Michael handles challenges & reframes adversity.

1:41:38 - Why his father, Rav Berg, taught that “consciousness is everything.”

Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences.

BOOKS AND RESOURCES

• The Zohar translated by Michael Berg in 23 volumes
• Secrets of the Zohar & Becoming Like God by Michael Berg
• And You Shall Choose Life by Rav Yehuda Ashlag
• The Thought of Creation by Rav Yehuda Ashlag
• Nano: Technology of Mind Over Matter by Rav Berg
• The Kabbalah Centre website
• Spiritually Hungry podcast with Michael & Monica Berg
• William Green’s book, “Richer, Wiser, Happier” – read the reviews of this book
• William Green’s Twitter

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