With all the focus on success it’s easy to overlook the valuable lessons we can learn from the more difficult parts of our journey. Below, you’ll find some very interesting insights from some of the most fascinating members of the community.
Amanda Banks
Failure is an opportunity to learn. And up to this point, I’ve had a lot of opportunity to learn. Being a working artist comes with more failures, more rejections, more ‘no’s’ than ‘yes’s’. It sucks, honestly. It’s hard to spend so much time making work to share with the world, with your community, and have it met with silence or disinterest. Read more>>
Derrick J. Wilson
Suffering taught me lessons that success never could. It taught me perseverance, determination, and the discipline to stay committed even when the path feels unfair or uncertain. I’ve experienced what it feels like to pour time, energy, and heart into something I didn’t own—only to end up flat on my back, unappreciated, and dismissed. Those moments were painful, but they were also transformational. Read more>>
Thuy Tran
Suffering taught me what success never could…how to feel. Success celebrates the surface, but suffering forces you into the depths. It teaches you to sit with your shadows, to understand, and to listen to the parts of yourself you used to silence. My art was born there. Suffering showed me the truth of who I am, not the version the world applauds. Read more>>
Tiffany La’Ryn
Suffering taught me strength, humility, and perspective in a way success never could. It forced me to slow down, look inward, and understand what truly matters. Success feels good, but suffering builds character , it teaches resilience, empathy, patience, and the ability to rise even when everything feels heavy. Those lessons stay with you long after the moment has passed. Read more>>
Sherry Heyl
I grew up in a world where nothing felt guaranteed. Money was tight, expectations were low, and fitting in never came naturally. I was the kid who felt like an outsider, the one who observed everything quietly while trying to make sense of chaos that other people seemed more equipped to handle. Read more>>
Wakisha E. Hazzard
The poet Maya Angelou once said, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” That statement resonates deeply with me. When I opened my law firm, I had no mentor, no roadmap, and no safety net. I am a first-generation attorney. I went to law school in a state where I had no family, no connections, and no network waiting to guide me. Read more>>
Lara Mamoun
This is a tough question to ponder, but one that I find quite inciteful. My life was marked by numerous tragedies, traumas and even a war that I survived. As a result, I struggled with depression from a very early age and found it difficult to relate to others or communicate my feelings to those around. So I escaped. Read more>>
Dr. Torre
Excellent question, suffering has taught me how sharp and resilient I am in times of trouble and pain. I learned not only what I’m made of but also who I could truly call on or trust. My trust and my solace have always been sustained in God Read more>>
Chauntae Marable
What did suffering teach me that success never could? It taught me how to get it out the mud. Success can surround you with support, but suffering teaches you that you are your own first responder. It instills a profound sense of self-reliance, the understanding that no one will champion your cause until you first champion it yourself. Read more>>
