We asked folks a question that led to many surprising answers – some sad, some thought-provoking and some funny. We’ve highlighted a cross section of those responses below.
Catherine Moore 
When I was about five or six years old, I would perform magic tricks in my closet…by myself, for myself. One time I placed a quarter under an upside-down plastic Cheerios cereal bowl on the carpeted floor. I proceeded to vigorously move the bowl back and forth and in circular motions. Faster and faster I moved the bowl with my little hands. Read More>>
Erica Walton
As a child I truly believed I wasn’t worthy of support and love. This was hugely due to my parents both struggling with addiction and trauma. It me left alone to take care of myself until my grandmother stepped in. Many days I’d cry wondering why no one chose me, why was I always an afterthought. I thought that meant I’d suffer all life long. Read More>>
Lina Zinecker
That you have to be excellent at something right away in order to do it. I don’t know what possessed me to think that way! You most likely won’t be that great at something when you first do it and that’s ok. It’s your grit, drive, and ability to keep trying that will set you apart. Read More>>
Kelly Reaves
At some point in adolescence I got it into my head that being ‘soft’ was bad and I was ‘hard’. I don’t remember when or why — I suspect it came from some internalized misogyny. Soft = sensitive = weak. I prided myself on my ability to use logic to make decisions rather than emotions. I even considered myself a sociopath as a teenager. Read More>>
Jade Posey
Everyone has heard the saying, “ You can do whatever you want in life”. This has a lot of truths to it. But at the same time it is false. They say go to school. Have job experience. But in reality you can be under qualified or overqualified. Read More>>
Courtney Roberts
As a child, I used to believe that everything I wanted was something I needed. Over time, life taught me the difference. I realized that true needs, like health, love, stability, and purpose, are often far more valuable than fleeting wants. Read More>>
Tracy Venair
As a child, I believed my worth rested in how I looked. I doubted my inner strength and feared I would never discover a purpose in life. Now I stand in a new truth: I am beautiful inside and out, my strength runs as deep as my mind and soul, and my life is filled with meaning and purpose I create each day. Read More>>
Lisa-Jae Eggert
As a child, I believed I was stupid. Living with severe dyslexia, I was judged only by reading, writing, and math, never by my creativity, problem solving, or ingenuity. I grew up thinking my brain was broken, when really it was just wired differently. I’ve since learned that being measured by the wrong standards doesn’t define your worth or potential. Read More>>
Shel Scott (aka Shel Khan)
Something that I have really been working on releasing lately is my perfectionism. As a child I believed that I had to be really good at something in order to enjoy it. If I tried something and didn’t take to it immediately, I didn’t allow myself to stick with it in order to develop or to just have fun. Read More>>
Angie Dunn
Growing up, I had to face the reality that I was born into a low-income family. I noticed that most of my friends had their parents waiting with them for the school bus, while at the same time I was walking onto the bus as my mom was already hours into her shift. Read More>>
Christi Pratte
I was naturally shy and therefore not the loudest voice in the room by any means. I picked up the belief that this quality was a weakness. However, as I’ve worked to embody it more confidently, I see it as one of my greatest gifts. My selective silence allows more opportunity to observe others and myself with depth and meaning. Read More>>
Michelle Reyes
I share a lot about my childhood experiences in my book, Becoming All Things. I grew up as a bicultural Indian American girl with brown skin in an all-white predominantly Scandinavian community in Minnesota. Read More>>
Septimius The Great
As a child I had a fear of failing and as I grow older, I learn that the more I learn – the more I know how to avoid failing. Most of all, failure is not always a bad thing but a step needed to succeed. Read More>>
Gabby Jimenez
As a child I was told numerous times that I would never amount to anything, that I was not smart. and that I would fail. I believed this my entire life because I kept hearing the voice repeating the same words over and over in my head. Read More>>
Ariana del Mundo
As a child (and even as a teenager and young adult), I believed success meant following a set path and working hard in ways that other people expected. That belief was shaped in part by growing up in a very structured religion that I’ve since left, where the path always felt predetermined. Read More>>
Nick Heyward
As a child I believed that my presence didn’t make a difference and my voice was unimportant. I believe I suffered from depression as early as elementary school. I learned to mask it with good grades and being polite. I wore a mask to hide my pain, and suffered in silence for years. Read More>>
