Why being a “diamond covered in dirt” is not bad for you

As humans, we have grown to be very harsh on ourselves caused by high expectations as to what we are meant to be achieving or thriving towards. It’s easy to get “lost” in the crowds, to be a diamond covered in dirt but what if this wasn’t as bad for us as we think? Are the days of “fitting in” over? Well, let’s look at a few strengths of being neurodiverse.

• When identifying as neurodivergent, you think differently to the rest of those around you. Let’s face it, it hasn’t always been easy — to get to where you are today, you’ve had to overcome many obstacles and difficulties and you’ve had to create or find workarounds to situations that don’t come naturally to you. This problem-solving ability is highly sought after in many aspects of everyday life and the race is on to find those with these abilities. So what you consider a FAULT is GOLD to others.
• You have the power to encourage CHANGE in the environment around you. For so long, we’ve been taught that there is a “way” to do everything. Society expects us to act or behave in a certain way because that’s the norm and it’s what’s expected of us. Being neurodiverse challenges people to rethink how things are done, to take a different perspective and consider that there might be a better way! Last month we spoke about getting caught up in other people’s chains of expectation and how to break free to reach your full potential.
• Some of the greatest innovations have been discovered, designed, or invented by a neurodiverse person. These people push the boundaries of “making the impossible happen” because the impossible presents itself EVERYDAY. Take Alan Turin as an example of greatness in neurodiversity. Albert Einstein, Henry Ford, Richard Branson, Bill Gates, the list goes on. Times have changed and NOW is the time for neurodiversity to shine bright and show that greatness can be achieved but it requires THINKING DIFFERENTLY, outside of the box, we need to reinvent the wheel…
• Neurodiversity often equals creativity. We know creativity works, we know innovation works and we know that neurodiversity works. With at least 1 in 8 of us being neurodiverse, the diamonds covered in dirt are all around us. You have unique skillsets that are unlikely to be matched in the workplace, in your friendship group and in society itself so use it to its full potential, SHOUT about it from the rooftops, don’t be ashamed.
• You are a teacher in disguise. What if people were watching you because they thought they could learn from you? Companies with heterogenous teams who have neurodiverse team members often outperform those and this is thanks to the range of skillsets and determination that a neurodiverse person brings to any working environment.

The list of reasons why being neurodiverse can benefit you are endless. YOU are changing the world around you one step at a time with what you consider “faults”. There’s a true saying that you always want what you haven’t got but what if you started loving who you are and the gifts that you have?

I’ll leave you with this wonderful quote to keep in mind on the tough days from Carl Jung “The shoe that fits one person, pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases”