I hold to the belief that we are all acorns.

I'm right there with you.

Obviously I don't mean we are literally acorns of course

Now you've lost me.

There is a lot of potential in each of us. And we like seeing stories of people overcoming the odds and succeeding despite the obstacles that they face. We can do that as well, and your list of words are good ones for determining if we'll be able to change our position.