Only Use Crayons

[Work - V]

If I tell my seven year-old daughter she needs to draw in the lines, only use the crayons (not the nice pencils), and make the picture look “real”, what can I expect? Compliance? Sure. But I shouldn’t expect the work of a creative twelve year-old.

If I tell my fifteen year-old son that he must check in before he uses the computer, he can’t get distracted with YouTube, his paper must be at least 500 words (but not more than 600), and he needs to do 30 minutes of work in all four subjects, what can I expect? Compliance? Okay. But I definitely shouldn’t expect the work of a motivated, self-directed, creative adult.

Treat someone like their five or 10 or 15, and they will rise right up to the ceiling they’ve been given. Surpassing it is implicitly deviant.

What if coloring outside the lines, using big-kid pencils, writing a short-story that’s 2,000 words, or doing Math for a few hours are exactly what my kids need to realize their potential, exercise their creativity, discover their own motivation, and develop a love for learning?

My boundaries (and enforcement) are the very thing that assure I get the results I don’t really want—mere compliance and none of the self-initiation.

Remove the boundaries.
Remove the ceiling.
Color outside the lines.

(This is true for employers, teachers, pastors, and almost anyone else in leadership.)