Being a young parent is a true joy. But with this joy comes tremendous responsibility. I look at my two little girls and wonder how I can instill building blocks – values – that they can career with them into their lives. These values need to be open enough to let them freely navigate through the world yet attached to some sort of core moral truth.

I encountered three of these, when I interviewed the entrepreneur and advisor April Rinne on the Rad Awakenings Podcast. April’s parents were both in education and raised her with a TKTK, a unique perspective on gratitude, all while being versed in financial literacy and self-sufficiency. In college, they both tragically passed away in a car accident, but the strength of these life philosophies continue to influence and shape April’s life today – and I’m excited to pass them along to my daughters.

1. The world is bigger than your own backyard

[su_quote]… and if you have the opportunity to explore it, you’d better take it.[/su_quote]

This mindset enabled April to travel the world, to over 100 countries on a low-frills budget. She then integrated this global perspective and sense of adventure into an independent career, or in her words, a career portfolioist.

2. The fact that I was a girl and got to go to school made me really really lucky

At first, I didn’t appreciate the profound nature of this statement. And we all are taught the importance of gratitude, but I found the specificity around recognizing one’s privilege to be so powerful. April adds.

[su_quote]I assumed that this was what all kids were taught, but this was quite unique. It was drilled into me every single day. I was lucky to be getting a education, which gave me a duty to give back to those who were less fortunate. My parents taught me that you can have a service in all kinds of ways, as a doctor, a teacher, you can open others’ eyes to new ideas and better lives. [/su_quote]

3. Financial literacy is a key to self-sufficiency

April’s mom put her in charge of her budget at age 7, which she “can’t encourage this enough for parents of young children. Financial literacy needs to be up there with reading and arithmetic.” And when tragedy struck, at age 20 – she had the tools to be self-sufficient and blaze her own unique career path:

[su_quote]I had to be self-sufficient in the wake of my parents death. I had to grow up. On one hand, I’m pretty risk averse which seems contradictory to going independent. It was absolutely not willy nilly, I thought long and hard about this, I had my financial plan in place (with some flexibility). For me it felt scary, but I knew I had done my homework.[/su_quote]

What are some of the values you seek to instill in your children?