🎨 What My Son’s First Painting Taught Me About Perfectionism

I still remember the first time my eldest boy tried painting. We laid out a big sheet of white paper, non-toxic paints, and plenty of newspapers to protect the floor.

He wasn’t worried about getting it right. He didn’t try to represent anything real. He simply splashed and smeared the colours with delight. By the end, maybe 10% of the paint made it onto the paper. The rest was on the newspaper, the floor, and mostly… on him.

And yet, he was so proud.

Watching him, I realized something: perfectionism is learned. Children begin with curiosity and freedom. It’s only later that we internalize the pressure to “get it right.”

Perfectionism is dangerous because it tricks us into:

• Taking far too long to start.

• Avoiding things we’re unsure we’ll do well.

• Shrinking our world instead of expanding it.

The antidote isn’t to lower our standards—it’s to rekindle curiosity. Curiosity asks: What if I try? What might I discover? It gives us permission to explore without judgment.

As adults, we could all use a little more of that messy, paint-on-the-floor energy.

✨ Where is perfectionism holding you back?
✨ What experiment could you approach with curiosity instead of pressure?

Because the most important part isn’t producing a masterpiece. It’s keeping the courage to paint in the first place.

#Leadership #Perfectionism #Curiosity #GrowthMindset