Teaching Kids to Dream Big and Do Big, One Step at a Time!

This is a guest post from Sam X Renick who is the driving force behind Sammy Rabbit.

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to purse them.” – Walt Disney

Martin Luther King. Steve Jobs. Oprah Winfrey. Howard Schultz. Sallie Krawcheck. Elon Musk. Walt Disney. Donald Trump. The list is endless. They all agree. It’s vital to dream big.

Dreaming big is a broadly championed theme. And, it should be.

Dreaming big can fill us with hope and purpose. It can inspire us to innovate and grow. It can get us to focus and pay attention to detail. It can motivate us to delay gratification and emphasize the long run. It can help us to persevere and overcome obstacles. It can teach us to be resourceful and resilient. It can build our imagination and compassion muscles. It can help us to achieve and lead rewarding lives.

Those potential payoffs make it important for everyone to dream big. That includes kids. We want kids to aim high. We want them to develop the confidence and courage to give their best. In giving their best, there is an excellent chance kids will not only learn about themselves but will also discover their capacity to contribute to others.

I agree wholeheartedly with former E-Bay executive and author Maynard Webb. He counseled in the Wall Street Journal, we should teach kids to dream big. For me, it is an essential part of how I want to leave my mark on the world.

My interest in dreaming big started as a child when my father would say to me, “Sam, it takes just as much time to think big as it does small. So, why don’t you think and dream big?” Later, I would discover others advocated the same, like former Eastman Kodak Chief Marketing Officer Jeffrey Hayzlett who wrote the book, Think Big, Act Bigger. The Rewards of Being Relentless.

I wanted to communicate a similar sentiment to children. In 2003, I authored the storybook, Sammy (Rabbit’s) Big Dream! It was during that period my understanding and appreciation for the magical powers of dreaming big began to deepen.

My mission then and now is to make it easy to teach and talk to kids about great money habits. Personal finance can be a dull, daunting and difficult subject to address. What I discovered is talking to kids about their dreams made it easier to converse with them about money. It also appeared the two topics had a strong and synergistic fit. Poor money habits can destroy lives and be lethal to dreams.Conversely, the quest to make a dream come true can shape behavior. It can be a determining motivator in delaying gratification, an often elusive but essential skill to saving, investing, asset-building or any successful endeavor.

Over a decade later the storybook has evolved into a vision and curriculum, Sammy Rabbit’s Dream Big Financial Education Program. The vision is comprised of five initiatives: (1) The Dream Big Reading and Resource Initiative; (2) The Dream Big Tour and Dream Big Do It Yourself Experiences; (3) The Global Dream Big Network (4) The Dream Big Club; and (5) Global Dream Big Day.

Our aim is to reach kids early with stories, songs, activities, games, experiences and questions that will have them living more purpose filled lives.

As philanthropist and master motivator Anthony Robbins shares, questions are the answers. We want to ask kids and adults, what is your big dream? Do you have a written plan to make your big dream come true? Does your plan include developing great money habits?

We also want to share with children their lives and dreams are worth investing their time, minds, and abilities into. They can make big dreams come true. We think now is a Sammyriffic time to join them in doing it!

Sam X Renick

About Sam X Renick:

Sam X Renick is the driving force behind Sammy Rabbit, Sammy’s Dream Big Vision and the “It’s a Habit” Company. Sam and Sammy are dedicated to empowering kids’ dreams and improving their financial literacy through the development of great habits and strategic life skills. Sam has read and sung off key with over a quarter million children around the world, encouraging them to get in the habits of saving money and reading! He has won numerous honors throughout his career including the New Jersey Coalition for Financial Education’s Lifetime Achievement Award!

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