023: A Penny For Your Thoughts

This week's blog is written by Res Ed's Director of Digital Communications and Positive Psychology Practitioner, Sheila Kennedy. 

“A penny for your thoughts.”

Ever hear this idiomatic expression? What if I told you it’s possible.

Now you won’t actually become financially rich but paying attention to your thoughts can impact the balance sheet of your psychological capital and is a valuable lesson to be learned.

My son Chad is currently enrolled in a Personal Finance course offered at his high school. Throughout the semester the course has spurred curiosity and led to many discussions at home (headed to college in the fall to study finance I’m sure played a part in his interest in the subject matter too). In an introductory email from his teacher, she shared that the goal of the class is to “use money as a tool to build the life your child wants to live.” Key units covered during the semester included topics on taxes, checking and savings accounts, online banking, paying for college (FAFSA, scholarships, grants, and loans), types of credit, managing credit, investing in the stock market and retirement, insurance, and budgeting. 

The course began with an introductory unit titled “Money and Me” wherein students learned about how personal values, social media, and individual context can influence one’s financial decision making. I appreciated the focus on intrapersonal skills and the time allotted for an evaluation of one’s inward thoughts and feelings before covering the specific “financial” topics.

Similar to the course goal...What if we also used our thoughts as a tool to build the life we wanted (and taught the children in our lives to do the same)? 

Recent newsletters and blog posts have focused on resilience, hope, and optimism, leading to a discussion on psychological capital. It made me think of the deposits and withdrawals we all make with our psychological “piggy banks.” Being aware of the importance of intentionality when it comes to making personal daily deposits of optimism and positive emotions (such as hope), needs to be taken into consideration for our own well-being; similar to what we do for our financial well-being, such as when we invest in our savings for a “rainy day” or an unexpected expense. Similarly to the security of having medical, home, and car insurance in case of an emergency, investing in our psychological capital will provide us with the ability to make a withdrawal from our psychological piggy banks when life requires the extra mental strength necessary to overcome adversity, grow through a challenging time, or the flexibility to see a different perspective without becoming emotionally or mentally depleted, burnt out, or bankrupt.

So the next time you hear someone say that they would give you a penny for your thoughts, let that be a reminder to imagine yourself either getting paid (or having to pay out) for all the things that go through your head…and consequently, you have the autonomy to become rich - psychologically speaking that is! 

Penny for your thoughts? Let us know what you’re thinking and what topics you are interested in.