Their opinions do NOT define you

This is one of my favorite pictures from my childhood because I always saw myself as the superhero, with a large imagination, that could accomplish anything. The underwear on the outside of my pajamas and snazzy Smurf rain boots were a nice touch too.

In our household my Cerebral Palsy was acknowledged but it was just something I had to deal with. A part of me that made it to where I moved different than everyone else. That was it. It didn’t define who I was or make me less as a person.

Once I started school and spent more time in public I started to pay attention to the opinions others had of me. The stares, gasps, comments and assumptions…they were all fair game and would come out of nowhere from both kids and adults.

“Retard” was the word I often heard and was a label that I low key attached to myself into adulthood. I still have to fight the insecurity of not thinking I’m enough for many of the situations I find myself in. Here’s the thing - that label is NOT me.

The truth is, we decide who it is we want to be. If we’re not satisfied with our position in life, we have the power today to start to change it. Truly believing that the labels put on us aren’t who we actually are takes time to believe, and much more time to actually put into practice. If you’re trying to shake labels from your past or present, please keep working through it. You’re on the right track and this path WILL pay off. It probably already has.

I mentioned still having to fight off the insecurities from those labels. That’s just part of the gig. It might only be for a moment when you have a fleeting thought or when something happens in life that feels like it affirms that incorrect POV. It will pass, just please be gentle with yourself as you work through it, reminding yourself that you’re actually the superhero that’s discovering & embracing the real you.

Keep cultivating that confidence…it looks fabulous on you.