Feeling frustrated and lost because of dyslexia? You're not alone. Many adults with dyslexia experience similar challenges, which can sometimes lead to mental health struggles.
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​I've been where you are and have felt the same.

I didn't know i had dyslexia until my late 40's which can be attributed to "stealth dyslexia".

TURNING LUCK INTO OPPORTUNITY

Regardless, for many decades, I assumed  I was dumb which me less confident. My actions followed that narrative - the part time jobs I took that paid very little because I felt unqualified and worthless, I was heavy into booze and drug addiction and other self-destructive behaviors.

What changed it around was an opportunity to go from low paying hourly into an industry where it turns out I was capable. A friend got me the job; I went from bar bouncer to financial services account manager - eventually - legal services co-founder.

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW

Point being - I didn't know what I didn't know because I had never applied that type of effort before. It wasn't easy but I was elevated into in an environment that was set up for to shine with adequate support from someone I could trust.

          ☑ Find an environment that interests you job or hobby wise

          ☑ This environment is your Zone of Power and it's foundational for confidence

          ☑ Getting a quick win in an area you're comfortable allows you to recognize your capability (already within you)

          ☑ This acts as a springboard for more "success"

GET IN WHERE YOU FIT IN

There are 6 dyslexia thinking skills: visual, communicating, imagination, reasoning, connecting and exploring.

     1) Which of these is or are your jam(s)?

     2) What are jobs or careers associated with them?

     3) Connect the dots

Finding confidence in an area you care about will change your life forever.


CRACKING THE CONFIDENCE CODE

➥ Confidence is rooted in compassion for yourself (trust)

➥ Knowing who you are and what you will and won't stand for (boundaries/ people-pleasing)

➥ Compassion and generosity for others (empathy = which you likely have a ton of as dyslexic)

➥ Preparation (mastery)

➥ Accountability (support)

➥ Communication (your unique expression, clarity, your genius).

ACTION ENDS SUFFERING

It's a strange concept, but a lot of our time is spent catastrophizing.

That stuff eats up a lot of energy and we end up beating ourselves up for beating ourselves up while at the same time talking ourselves out of being ourselves.

Action quiets the runaway brain train and provides you with a level of real-life feedback that you can't get from your simulations. And, all too often - that worse case scenario we cooked up never happens.

WHAT NEXT?

I went from a guy that checked ID's in a bar to helping facilitate multi-million and billion dollar class action recovery process Fortune 500 attorneys. I'm someone who thought like you and navigated out of that backseat mentality and into the driver's seat over the course of years.

This doesn't make me special or better than anyone else. It's just makes me a dude who took a chance on being someone different when the opportunity presented itself. 

LEX GET MENTAL

I still have doubts and get anxious, even in things I've done dozens of times.

But I've proven to myself that I've accomplished them before and fear, uncertainty and imposterism are built-ins that even the greatest of the greatest experience.

I teach others but I also get taught myself, coached and advised. I'll never be above it.

SKATING ON THIN ICE

Dyslexia doesn't leave you or take vacations - we must learn to manage it, own it or control it while still respecting its ability to jack things up when we get sloppy.

This is the mental health component that most people miss and is frankly why I started the Powered by Dyslexia movement.

The emotionality of working with or staying "ahead" of your dyslexia are critical aspects that shape your attitude = quality of life. 

Now, if your days & nights only consist of tv and snack-a-thons, the mental health component may not be high on your list of to-do's. 

But if you're out in the world shaking it, interacting, coordinating, contributing and trying to MAKE SHIFT HAPPEN daily..... 
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PRACTICING MENTAL HEALTH AND EMOTIONAL FITNESS STRATEGIES SHOULD BE YOUR #1 PRIORITY AS A DYSLEXIC PROFESSIONAL. 

The bad news is that working on your mental health is a forever thing.

The good news is that working on your mental health is a forever thing.

DUDE, WHERE'S MY CONFIDENCE?

One of the confidence hacks not mentioned enough is that confidence is a skill, but also a state that comes and goes.

Practicing some of the things mentioned here will help you build the skill.

As a "state" that's fluid - confidence will sometimes escape you forcing you to rely on your training.

This usually means summoning Courage to the rescue. 

​PORRIDGE.  COURAGE, IT'S NOT JUST FOR BREAKFAST ANYMORE

Being confident is accepting that it's okay to not feel confident all of the time.

It's giving yourself grace in the moments you don't have it all together and patting yourself on the ass side for showing up anyway.

Train yourself to summon courage....

You only need to be confident a few seconds at a time.....
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​....before the rest of you shows up to help you meet the moment. 

Practice, rinse and repeat. 

We got this!