As we push hard to get through a challenging year, there is one common thread we all share. We are all trying to be more resilient in our lives whether it’s our personal net worth and investments, or our business vitality and meeting growth expectations. We pour over quantitive and qualitative research and analysis to allow us to make the right decisions and cannot just print more dollars to meet our goals, like a country with a fiat currency.  However, you can print your own Positivity Currency. This is your own personal currency that can be printed and stored as an asset. 

My wife, Amy and I recently in Cabo, where we are building a second home.

Here are three ways to build your Positivity Currency:

Keep Good Records

When you write down your positive thoughts and moments, they register higher value than non-written forms of positivity, according to research by the founding father of Positive Psychology, Dr. Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania.  Record your positive currency transactions and keep a written tally with categories such Family, Friends, Work, etc. 

Create Your Own Bull Market

Financial markets boom when more and more people want in.  Likewise, positivity is socially contagious and can compound.  In the research behind their book Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives, Harvard’s Nicholas Christakis and the University of California, San Diego’s James Fowler explains how happiness depends not just on our own choices and actions, but also on those of people who are two or even three degrees removed from us. Share your Positivity Currency with others. 

Portfolio Perspective

Resilient individuals diversify their risk and their positivity currency.  Try evaluating what provides the highest returns across your entire “life portfolio” and then invest more in those areas.  In a 2015 report entitled “The Happiness Study” from Blackhawk Engagement Solutions, respondents ranked their jobs eighth out of a list of 12 contributors to overall happiness. Ranking in the top spots were their family, friends, health, hobbies, and community. By creating more positivity currency in those areas, you will increase the ability to bring your best self to work.

In order to reinforce your Positivity Currency balance, it is important to consistency review your written notes. So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving at a time when gratitude is at the top of the menu, I implore you to start printing your own Positivity Currency. This is a great time to spend quiet time building your portfolio of your own currency that will pay dividends for the rest of your life.