Understanding the benefits of your dyslexic struggle
Dyslexia and hard work go hand in hand. I have this distinct memory from when I was a kid and my mom sat me down and told me,
"You will always have to work twice as hard to be just as good as everyone else."
What she said is true, but only partly.
Today we want to talk about hard work and change your perspective away from "I have to work hard to be the same as everyone else" to "I work hard and challenge myself because dyslexia has taught me hard work."
Before we go any further, I want to make it extra clear; we are not addressing hard work and burnout! That is such an important topic, and we want to talk about that later. For now, we are only focusing on the positive.
The question we posed to the community during our Dyslexia Discussed event was, "Can you think of a time when hard work made you go above and beyond, and you saw a positive outcome?"
Our key takeaways:
Hard work makes us over preparers! This can be beneficial!
"One time Natalie was over-prepared for a job interview, she made detailed notes and talking points. The interviewer saw her notes and later told her that her preparedness is in part what got her the job."
We ignore barriers. When other people would give up or stop, we don't. We keep charging through and jumping those hurdles as best as we can.
Our curious minds make us a source of information for others. We never stop looking for answers!
"Deanna told us a story about how people from other departments at her company will come to her with questions because she collects answers. If she does not know the answer, she responds, with I don't know, let's find out."
We understand the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. Our hard work has turned into stubbornness, and we will not listen to people when they say we can't do something (but we do listen to ourselves and quit when we need to)!
Don't be afraid to show off your hard work. You are a talented, motivated, creative, and brilliant dyslexic human! Embrace the good parts of your dyslexia, and know the Hive is here to support you when things get frustrating or challenging!
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