Resilience…

There are days that I do forget that I can overcome many obstacles. Sometimes I become so hard on myself that I don’t take time to acknowledge how my brain is working and how my abilities are helping me be more resilient.

Most days, I search for new ways to keep up with life demands up or complete my tasks. Because I think differently, this can become more challenging some days to maintain a normative process. On difficult days it is very hard to find a workaround, this usually results in having to make one up for myself.

When I am looking for a workaround to help meet a demand or complete a task, I don’t think of myself as a victim or being incapable. I think of the situation as a puzzle, and to complete the puzzle I need to implement a workaround. Pause and take the time to create a strategy. 

When I am building a strategy for any workarounds, I focus my energy on the time it will take. What the outcome will be, and what options are available to put my workaround in motion. To create the best strategy, I don’t worry about what others will think, and instead, I maintain a positive outlook on the situation at hand. 

Staying positive helps with accepting that not all work arounds I use will work. There are times that my good intent will result in failure. If failure happens, I hold space to process what the failures are and remind myself of a quote that Michelle Obama said. “Failure is an important part of your growth and developing resilience.” I make sure to practice self-care by allowing myself one day to sit in my failure, process, and learn.  Then when I wake up the next day, I must let it go.

Two of the best work-around tools I have found helpful in being more resilient is to be flexible and use your resources. Don’t put a limitation or expectation on some workarounds and allow yourself the flexibility you need to put the proper strategy in place and complete what needs to be completed. Also, know how to use your resources to help have a better outcome. 

Having dyslexia may present daily obstacles, but it also provides the gift to think outside the box, look at the bigger picture, and the ability to create workarounds or ideas that ultimately lead to resilience in the face of adversity.