My favorite quote is from Confucius: “The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he cannot are both correct.”
I’ve been denied business loans that colleagues got for what looked like no reason at all. I’m a Black woman building a company in an industry that doesn’t always make room for me. That’s real, and it can sting, and I’m not going to pretend it isn’t true.
But it can’t be my reason not to be successful. None of us get to skip the barriers. We just get to decide if we’re going to figure out how to move past them.
Here’s the part I think gets missed the most: we live in a country that tells you success looks one way — the person with the most money wins. That doesn’t have to be your definition. If your version of success is being present for a parent who needs you, you’re successful. Own it. If it’s retiring at 40 — I’m 47, so you beat me, but go figure out your own number.
The money is the vehicle. It’s not the destination. What do you actually want? That’s the question worth answering before you chase anything else.
Watch the documentary, then let’s talk about what success actually looks like for you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDb_DNlqwM4
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