By Alison Beard — 2013
An interview with Maya Angelou.
Read on hbr.org
CLEAR ALL
As children grow and their digital imprint becomes greater, so does their need to feel validated. But it is important to encourage the value of self-worth and validating ourselves.
It’s been challenging for me to witness the victim mentality that’s become popular in mainstream narratives. I’m a woman, person of color, and daughter of immigrants. I don’t perceive myself as a victim.
The Black community is more inclined to say that mental illness is associated with shame and embarrassment. Individuals and families in the Black community are also more likely to hide the illness.
2
The life of an entrepreneur isn’t necessarily easy. As the pop-culture phrase has it: “The struggle is real.”
Just like with financial diversification, you should also invest in several different areas of your identity.
1
We often see our jobs as a defining detail of who we are, yet too closely tying our identities to work can be dangerous. What can we do about it?
“You’re always communicating about race, whether you talk about it or not.”
“I just didn’t want them to stress and not be afraid to go to school. The less they knew, the better it was.”
The “do it all myself” mentality is praised by society as a strong work ethic and tenacious independence. But it’s actually a habit born from trauma and feeling unworthy.
Many equate self-discipline with living a good, moral life, which ends up creating a lot of shame when we fail. There’s a better way to build lasting, solid self-discipline in your life.