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.
Taylor Randal
I need to go to college to run a successful business. Read more>>
Jessica Pappas
I’d say it was around twelve years old that I adopted the belief that I was unworthy of love. It wasn’t just one moment, but it crystallized when my mom sat me down and told me she was moving to San Francisco to ‘find herself.’ I asked if I could go with her to which she said, no. Read more>>
Tony Jefferson
Growing up, I believed the formula for success was simple: go to school, get a job, work hard, and make money. I saw a lot of people who do very well using this model, but something didn’t quite sit right with me. I never saw anyone living the life I wanted to live. Read more>>
Fiona Wang
As a child I believed I wasn’t naturally smart – I also believed I didn’t have what it takes to be a ‘business owner’ and so i always dreamed of being a good 9-5 corporate employee. Read more>>
Brandy Bickham
As a child, I was told by someone close to me that I wouldn’t amount to much. And for a while, I believed it—especially while navigating poverty and the weight of survival. That message echoed through my early years, shaping how I saw myself and what I thought was possible. But today, I stand in full pride of who I’ve become. Read more>>
Sumit Gupta
As a child, I believed I had to earn my worth — through achievements, good grades, being liked, or being useful to others. I thought love and belonging came as a reward for performance. It took me years to see that my worth was never up for negotiation. That I was already enough — before the titles, the money, or the applause. Read more>>
Ray Sabbagh
As a child, I used to believe that success meant following a clear, traditional path — that you had to know exactly what you wanted to be, stick to the plan, and everything would unfold perfectly. I’ve since learned that life doesn’t work that way — and that’s actually the beauty of it. Now, I believe growth comes from curiosity, adaptability, and embracing change. Read more>>
Tricky Lake
As a child I think I believed that the key to being happy, to achieving what the other girls around me seemed to enjoy, was to be like everyone else. I worked really hard at being funny, making sure I was pretty enough, agreeing with every popular opinion, and hiding myself out of fear of rejection. Read more>>
Geobirttie Wise-Odugu
When I was younger, I believed my size and body type placed limits on what I could achieve. I was often told to be grateful just to be accepted or included, and that my body type wasn’t considered beautiful. Over time, I learned to challenge those beliefs to embrace my uniqueness and recognize that true beauty comes from confidence, self-love, and authenticity. Read more>>
A.D. Puchalski
I have dyslexia and the overwhelming feedback I took away from my interactions as a child was that I was stupid and would never amount to anything. I know now that I can function and even achieve, despite society not being set up for people with my disability. Read more>>
Cat Ekkelboom-White
I was brought up to believe that more work & more money = more success & happiness. However, I do not believe this anymore. Whilst I fully acknowledge that it takes a certain amount of privilege and comfort to be able to say this, I really don’t see how much I earn as being a sign of success, despite being brought up to believe that. Read more>>
yanjun chen
I was born and raised in Wuxi, in eastern China. Perhaps influenced by this small city’s perpetually damp and rainy climate, I find that both the figures and still lifes in my paintings possess a softness reminiscent of ink wash. As a child, due to societal and family pressures, I valued order, balance, and decorum. Read more>>
Rashelle Campbell
I believed I had to be good at one thing and one thing only. That my focus is a straight line to one certain career but as I started to grow and get older, I believe that is completely false. As humans, we are always shape shifting and we can do whatever we want, however we want. Read more>>
Promise Okoye
Growing up, I honestly believed I had to make myself small to be loved. I thought being the “good girl”- quiet, polite, always doing the right thing, would somehow make life easier. I laugh about it now because I realise how exhausting that was! Read more>>
