We love rebels and people who challenge the status quo, conventional wisdom and mainstream narratives and so we asked some really bright folks to tell us about one piece of conventional advice they disagree with.

Rajendra Thakurathi | Filmmaker

That hard work necessary leads to success. While it may be true partially, I think there are a lot of other important factors that lead to success. Perseverance, for instance, is highly important, and so is luck. Then there’s the physical, mental, emotional and social well-being. If you are doing only hard work and neglecting the others, you’ll wear out quickly and the effect is going to seep into your work. Read more>>

Daniella Shevel | Owner, Founder & Creative Director

I’ve always disagreed and not liked when people have told me, “Fake it ’til you make it.’ A boss early on in my corporate career gave me this advice when I was feeling insecure or nervous about a certain strategy or task. Perhaps it can work in some cases. But, for me I have really learnt to lean into the vulnerabilities, be honest with people, say where I am struggling, where I need help, not pretend to be the expert on everything, and it’s made me feel more confident as a person to be who I am. Read more>>

Don Starnes | Director of Photography

Filmmaking has taught me to be open to reality and to try to notice as much as I can. In filmmaking, this is necessary to make it through an arduous production day and to make the truest movie that you can. Counterintuitively, the best way to make fiction is to stay as close to reality as you can. Read more>>

Brad Tobler | Director/Editor

We’ve all heard the phrase “the early bird gets the worm” and maybe even seen the book “The Miracle Morning” that suggests waking up early automatically leads to productivity and success. In fact, these phrases and concepts seem to date back centuries as Benjamin Franklin once said, “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” Phrases like these have made society believe that the key to success is waking up early and I wholeheartedly disagree. Read more>>

Chrissy Goobache | Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurship is something that is already embedded in your DNA. My great-grandfather was an entrepreneur. He taught my mother and my mother taught me. Entrepreneurship is not easy, but it’s very rewarding. Some people assume that it’s easy because they see the finished product, but they don’t witness all of the sweat equity that goes into running your own business. Read more>>