This is the lie we’ve been told.
“You can do anything you set your mind to.”
It’s not that simple.
Somewhere along the way, we confused the message of hard work, perseverance and progress, with the idea that all you need is desire and then it will magically happen.
This is a lie.
You cannot just sit and dream things into existence.
You must accept the reality that there are constraints, limits, and structural barriers that make certain outcomes harder for some people than others.
We can and should be optimistic and ambitious.
But we shouldn’t gaslight people into thinking that every shortcoming is a failure of will. Sometimes the system is rigged. Sometimes the game is unfair.
The big lie is that all outcomes are simply the result of individual effort.
We have to talk honestly about privilege, luck, timing, and support systems too.
