As parents, Michael and I have been thinking a lot about how we want our kids to view success. We didn’t grow up in wealthy families, yet we never felt deprived. Our childhoods were filled with simple joys, strong relationships, and deep-rooted values.

Now, as we raise our own children in a world where success is often measured by material gain, we’re intentionally redefining what it looks like for our family. We want to raise kids who understand that success isn’t just about income—it’s about resilience, impact, and living a life of purpose.

Here’s how we’re teaching our kids to view success differently.

Focusing on Failure First: Embracing Mistakes as Growth

Most of us grew up thinking of failure as something to avoid. But what if failure isn’t the opposite of success? What if it’s actually a stepping stone toward it?

One of the biggest lessons we’re instilling in our kids is that failure is part of the process. Before they even define success for themselves, we want them to develop a healthy relationship with failure—one that teaches them to learn, adapt, and grow rather than shut down in defeat.

This is something we’ve built into our school, Acton Academy Richmond, where children are encouraged to take risks, fail often, and try again. Instead of measuring success by grades or traditional achievement markers, we focus on effort, persistence, and problem-solving.

At home, we ask questions like:

✅ What didn’t go as planned today?

✅ What did you learn from that experience?

✅ How will you approach it differently next time?

When our daughter, Evy, participated in a business fair, she learned firsthand how failure leads to innovation. She started by hand-drawing custom artwork, but when she realized how time-consuming it was, she pivoted to printed designs that she could sell more efficiently. That’s a win!

Success isn’t about getting everything right the first time—it’s about learning, adapting, and pushing forward.

Defining Success Holistically: Looking Beyond Money & Status

It’s easy to slip into society’s definition of success—wealth, career titles, or external validation. But true success is so much bigger than that.

When I think back to my childhood, my parents never talked about money. Instead, success was modeled through relationships, contentment, and faith. My dad was a pastor, and while we didn’t have a big income, we never felt like we lacked anything. 

Now, as a business owner, I’m intentional about how we talk about success at home. Our kids don’t hear us measuring our life by income or financial goals. Instead, they hear us talking about the people we help.

We define success in multiple ways:

• Do we have a family culture of trust, honesty, and deep connection?
• Are we putting Jesus first in our decisions?
• Are we helping others in meaningful ways?
• Do we feel challenged and fulfilled in the work we do?

When success is defined only by financial achievements, it puts pressure on kids to chase numbers instead of purpose. We want our children to know that their worth isn’t tied to a paycheck—it’s tied to their character, their contribution, and how they show up in the world.

Highlighting Impact Over Income: Teaching Kids the Power of Giving

When kids start noticing wealth, they often ask big questions:

Do we have $1,000?

Are we millionaires?

How much money do we make?

Instead of focusing on the amount, we redirect the conversation to impact.

Yes, our business has provided financial security, but what matters most is how we’re using it to serve others. We talk to our kids about:

• How we’re helping thousands of photographers build businesses that change their families’ futures.
• How our home and resources are used to bless others—whether it’s baptisms in our backyard pool, hosting community events, or supporting missions.
• How our school was built as an investment—not for financial gain, but for creating a learning environment that shapes lives.

Our kids will eventually learn about financial responsibility, but we want them to value generosity, service, and meaningful work first.

A powerful lesson we hope they take away? Money is a tool—not the goal.

What’s Your Definition of Success?

This conversation is one that we’re still navigating. As parents, we’re constantly evaluating:

✔️ Are we modeling the right values?

✔️ Are we being intentional in how we talk about money, success, and impact?

✔️ Are we raising kids who feel empowered to define success beyond income?

If you’ve never thought about how you define success for your family, this is your invitation to do so. Because if we don’t intentionally shape our children’s view of success, the world will do it for us.

Listen to the full conversation below!

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