Seven Habits Of Highly Motivated Kids
How can we help our children become highly motivated from an early age?
Highly motivated children know how to get what they want
By Sunny Istar Lee, Certified Financial Coach
Can you imagine your children not asking for money? Or they don’t ask you to buy things or take them to places like the ice cream shop because they have their own money! Is it too good to be true? That’s exactly what I envisioned when I was pregnant with my sons 15 years ago. And surprisingly my imagination became a reality. In this article, I will share with you what are the 7 habits of highly motivated kids that set them up for success.
SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY MOTIVATED KIDS
In my book “Is Your Child a Money Master or a Money Monster?” I talked about the Seven Habits of highly motivated kids for financial success. I personally developed and used all of them with my sons for more than a decade. They are as follows:
1: Develop a Money Master Mindset
2: Start Saving Early!
3: Create Reminders, Routines, and Rewards
4: Set High Goals through Expectations
5: Learn Money Matters By Playing
6: Go Experience the Real World
7: Give Back and Share the Love
Why is it important to help children develop good habits from an early age? Since our lives are essentially a collection of habits, what better time to develop good habits than when we are young? It’s like planting a seed. What better time to sow seeds than spring? So help your kids learn financial life skills and form good money habits as early as possible.
HOW EARLY?
“Isn’t it too early to give two-year-old kids a work to do and teach them about money?” asked some parents. Not really. It’s because, by the age of two, kids’ brain size is almost about 80% to 90% of the adult brain which has nearly 100 billion neurons. These young children have about 80 billion neurons that function to process and transmit information. For that reason, even toddlers are capable of understanding everything with their super brains. That’s why I believe that it’s important to teach earning, saving, investing and managing money early.
Statistics show that more and more college graduates move back with their parents. It’s because they don’t know how to face the real-life problems out there. Many of them were not taught how to get a job, earn money or pay bills on time early. No wonder why they have difficulties in surviving in this fast, competitive, and globalized world. As a result, they want to stay with their parents because they feel safe there. They refuse to work, slouch around, eat everything but do nothing. For how long? Some of them may stay as babies in their adult bodies for the rest of their lives.
TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD
We need to help our little children to understand adulthood responsibilities when they are still young. Later they can make a smooth transition from childhood to adulthood. Therefore, the best time to teach children about money is now. The earlier the better.
And the best way to teach them about this topic is just like teaching them to ride a bike or to swim. We teach them step-by-step. We teach them basic financial skills and responsibility when they are still in kindergarten or elementary school. Not after 18 when the stakes are high and the rewards are much harder to gain. I am an eagle mom. I want my eaglets to fly high in their lives, so I kick my eaglets out of their nest, their comfort zone so they can learn how to fly. I do it because I love them. I want them to thrive in their lives, not barely survive. I believe that a mom teaches her kids to live, but an eagle mom teaches her kids to soar.
Once children establish money master mindsets and healthy financial habits and good money management skills. On top of that foundation, they can build anything. Success, influence, wealth, impact, legacy, happiness…you name it.
These days, many parents have a lot of fears and worries about their children and about what can go wrong with them in the future. F.E.A.R can stand for “False Evidence Appearing Real” or “Face Everything and Rise.” Choose to face the fear and rise and teach them what they need to know timely.
Tag:sunny istar lee
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