Creators shape the world — here’s how to raise ‘em

You can place pretty much any activity into one of two buckets:

🪣 Creating

🪣 Following

Examples of following include things like school, sports, and many extracurricular activities. Following is vital for teaching fundamental lessons.

The problem is that this is where most learning stops. 🛑

True growth comes from creating, with activities like:

• Writing a song

• Starting a business

• Developing a community initiative

• Becoming a thought-leader

The lessons learned through creating are what distinguish kids who get into top schools and go on to lead the world.

Here are two tried-and-true ways to raise a creator. 👇

Encourage curiosity over compliance

If you’re already the parent of a –ahem– strong-willed kid, I know this can sound a tad daunting.

Curiosity over compliance doesn’t mean that compliance goes out the window, only that kids should seek to understand the reasons behind the rules.

This approach transforms the traditional learning paradigm, which often prioritizes following instructions, into one that values exploration, questioning, and problem-solving.

This might be happening in your kid’s classroom, so it’s up to you at home to feed their curiosity. Studies show that kids who ask more questions, rather than just complying with instructions, get better results.

Here are some ways you can get started:

❓Let them own the answers: Don’t just encourage questions, help them find the answers themselves. Next time your kid asks a question, rather than looking at it as an opportunity to impart knowledge, point them to resources that help them draw their own conclusions.

💪 Challenge the status quo: Teach kids to question assumptions, even those that seem foundational. Encourage them to ask "why?" — not just about what they’re being told, but also to themselves.

🧠 Model curiosity: Kids will notice when you demonstrate your own curiosity, seek out new information, and explore subjects you’re unfamiliar with.

Value process over outcome

It’s not that outcomes aren’t important.

I love focusing on outcomes.

The problem is that when outcomes are valued more highly than the process of getting there, we naturally comply with tactics that have a proven ability to achieve the desired outcome.

This leaves little room for creativity and risk-taking. 😞

Here are ways you can boost up the importance of process:

🎉 Celebrate micro-progress: Next time your kid is working toward a goal, break that goal down into the smallest measurable steps possible, and celebrate each win.

🧪 Create a safe place for experimentation: Failure is ok, as long as they’ve learned something. When kids know they can try new things without fear of reprimand for failing, they're more likely to take creative risks and explore new ideas.

🗣️ Teach the value of feedback: Constructive feedback is a tool for growth, not criticism. Teach kids to give and receive feedback in a way that focuses on improvement and learning. It’ll teach them to view feedback as a valuable part of the creative process.

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Raising a creator isn’t about just preparing your kid to succeed — it’s about giving them the skills they need to improve the world around them. 🌎