Why do you continually underestimate me?

This is dedicated to Daniel & Sheryl and anyone who in reading this blog feels touched enough to change. 

Having a long term health condition and being registered disabled is hard to come to terms with.  Society often cannot see past the labels regardless of what I contribute to the world. 

For me, regardless of what I’m doing, the ordinary will seem extraordinary, and the extraordinary will seem insurmountable to those who look at me for the first time.  I have been told this straight to my face by various people.
People perceive me this way because of the blue badge and now my chest line. 

It is incredibly easy for me to be completely underestimated without a second thought, my life has been relegated to the scrap heap because of my condition.

When you hear the word prejudice, you automatically think of the worst instance of judging another person and then you immediately put yourself into the innocent category. People believe that there is no way that they underestimate or discriminate in the way that the word prejudice makes them think they do. The word, however, in the Webster dictionary is defined as:

“An adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge.”

It is easy for someone to learn one small tiny thing about another person and then immediately begin to underestimate them without even realising you are doing it.  So many of us are being underestimated for reasons that we cannot control or cannot change.

Even though I could be on occasion, valuable, talented and driven, my condition, this one small part of me, has bought me down in the eyes of the world around me. 

This is happening to people like me everywhere, everyday.

Believe me, it is extremely difficult, when day after day, I am repeatedly told that I am less than I actually am,  to not listen to what people say to me. 

I know how it feels to be underestimated. I know how it feels when low expectations are heaped upon me without a second thought by people surrounding me.

I have tried to combat the pressure of being underappreciated and underestimated.

For anyone reading this post that is being  underestimated because of any situation or circumstance beyond your control, then I hope this can help you as much as it has started to help me.

When people tell me that I am not as valuable as I know I am, it can be easy to begin to believe them especially when you start to hear it a lot. 
The way to deal with this is, You have to intentionally and consciously remember how valuable you are.
Whenever someone made a comment aimed at my condition or me, I whispered a positive comment to myself.  Positively affirming yourself is hard but you need to do it to survive,  bring all the qualities that make you unique and valuable to the front of your mind and hold them captive.

I smile even when I feel shit, even when I am in pain I walk confidently, I let off an air of confidence because I used to be confident before they all knocked me down.  Make it harder for people to underestimate you.

Unfortunately, in life there are many people out there that are just ignorant and misinformed.  They may never have come  across someone like me or you, they simply don’t know any better.  If I have time, often I make the time, I talk to them, share my story, show them that I am just like them. 
I act like I have just one chance to bring that person a perspective that might not have been known before.  Judgement,  misinformation, lack of education and lack of understanding plays a massive part in the underappreciation of others.

I have my wife and my twin, who at any time of the day or night, I can vent every frustration to, they both keep me grounded, keep me positive and keep me sane.

The most heartbreaking fact is, sometimes it is the people who are around you the most, your family, your friends, your colleagues who are actually the guilty ones, they are the ones who are doing the underestimating.
This was extremely hard for me to come to terms with, which is why my wife and my twin are vital to me, my inner duo who make me laugh and smile and wipe away my tears.  They never pull me down and we are connected on a deep supportive level, the ability we have to be open with each other is real and this authenticity breeds trust.
My twin and I, understand each other, we have a deep understanding built on trust which wasn't built in a few hours, everything is reciprocal between us.  Together one day we will take on the world. 

The people who underestimate me, think they know something about me that I don’t know about myself.  I have news for them, I know more about myself than anyone else other than my family, wife or twin ever can or ever will.

From today, I control my life, I choose my path and make the plans, I have been and will be successful again.  I will keep on moving forward at whatever pace even though you think I am worthless and need to stop.  I will prove you wrong, maybe not today, maybe not even tomorrow, but I will prove you wrong.  No matter what you think or what you say, I know my own value and I will beat you.