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.
Briana Avalos
When I was a kid, I always had it in my head that I had to pick ONE thing to do for work for the rest of my life. In retrospect, I feel like that kinda stressed me out haha! I took the prospect of ‘what I wanted to be when I grow up’ very seriously, and like most kids, it changed a million times. Read more>>
Zachary Jones
As a child I limited myself to things I had interest in . I know now that whatever I put my mind towards just having courage and confidence will keep me grounded to completing whatever I start. In life there a 3Ls (Learning, Losing, Lessons) . In life you have to have the desire to Learn. Losing is a state of mind not your reality. Read more>>
Deborah Powell
Shyness. lol I was never shy . Over time adapted to not feeling safe in the environments I was in. I will talk to and show love to everyone. I hold proverbs 17:28 dear. I don’t believe in forcing words or forcing a moment because people won’t listen to you nor value what you have to say. Read more>>
Jason Pollak
curating my home space to be both a sanctuary and a work-from-home space, without making the space feel too much like one or the other. Feels nice to be able to separate church and state like that… home edition. Lol Read more>>
Michael L. Owens
When I was a child, I didn’t know where my life was headed. I was often unhappy and unsure of my purpose. At times, I believed I would always live in poverty, and other times I thought I might die young. My mom, a single parent, worked two jobs to provide for me and my two younger sisters. Read more>>
Ashley Hugghins
This is the perfect question for the work I am creating right now. I had a very normal childhood, never wanting for much and very loved. But I was never taught how to love myself. I was tall and awkward and not without my fair share of teasing throughout school. Read more>>
Dr. Pearl Lilly
As a child, I once believed that I had no voice and that I had to remain a victim of sexual and mental abuse. By the age of nine, the pain felt so overwhelming that I even wrote a heartfelt letter to my elementary teacher asking for help, because I no longer wanted to live under the weight of that trauma. Read more>>
Thaminah Poitier
As a child, I believed that I could never advocate for myself. I would always have to wait for someone to do it for me. After some major life lessons in high school, I realized that I not only have the power to stand up and advocate for what I want, I am the only person I can trust with such a responsibility. Read more>>
Chloe Clark
For a long time, I believed there was a clear, step-by-step blueprint for success. As a child and young adult, I thought it looked like this: go to college (check), earn a degree (check), land a “good” corporate job with great benefits (check), and buy a home (check). Read more>>
Dr. Tashauna Richardson
Well, it wasn’t necessarily something I believed as a child, but more so something I internalized as a young mother. I was told, “You made your bed, now you have to lie in it.” And for a while, I did believe that—especially being an unwed mother, raising multiple children with multiple fathers. Read more>>
