Relatively speaking (all things being relative), I have never believed this; my parents never imprinted that on me.
However, I grew up with the idea that "choices have consequences" firmly imprinted on my psyche. My parents were very matter-of-fact; I also grew up in one of "those" households where it was perfectly clear from day one that things like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and so on were merely "human constructs" created to make holidays more exciting for kids.
So — to poke at the edges of your question — I have always believed I could be whatever I wanted... AND that everything in life is basically a "transaction" that involves different parts: I can totally choose to be a writer (when I was a kid, I wanted to "tell stories" for a living, when I grew up) and possibly quite a good one! The "terms" for being a writer is a life of creative freedom, a large measure of happiness, and a 95% chance of living most of my life in poverty.
My mother wanted be to be "a professional;" something that would feed her egoic need. Again, choices have consequences: On the plus side, potentially a life of luxury and status; on the minus side, loads of student debt; lots of stress, and unhappiness stemming from working at things I have zero interest in.
For the most part, I have chosen the side of the equation that enabled me to live peacefully and with mostly a high degree of happiness with what I have done: I have been/am a writer, an artist, a creative, an eBay entrepreneur, a patchwork economist of sorts. My happiness factor is high; my stress comes mostly from having to interface with a world that's full of bills to be paid. My wife and I are both 50's and hard-working individuals... odds are we will never retire, so it's a good thing that we love what we do!
Thanks for a thought-provoking article!