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3 Lies We Need to Stop Telling Ourselves About Work I analyzed hundreds of Americans professional stories, over six years. Here's what I learned.

By Bruce Feiller

Key Takeaways

  • What are "workquakes" and how do they get you closer to finding your path?
  • Americans are debunking three lies about work; this is what they are.
  • Only you can tell the most important story you'll ever tell: the story of what makes you a success.

This story appears in the July 2023 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

Cornell Thomas lost his police officer father in New Jersey to cancer when he was four, and he grew up watching his dental assistant mother struggle to support her family. "Once, in sixth grade, I asked if we could order pizza," he says. "Mom gave me a look that said, No. Don't ask again."

To help out, Cornell turned to entrepreneurship. "My mother had these packs of WeightWatchers cookies that tasted like death," he says. Cornell put on his baseball uniform and sold the cookies to his neighbors for 50 cents a pack. "I made $50. It was like a million bucks."

After his dream of playing pro basketball was cut short, Cornell returned to his entrepreneurial roots, opening a youth academy and giving motivational speeches. But his childhood fear of deprivation still haunted him: "I was an adult before I realized I had a horrible relationship with money. I would cry rather than ask people to pay me."

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