Polish Your Rainbow

Putting Shame on Mute

You're staring at your shoes again.

Replaying “I’m not enoughness” about:

  • the job you didn't get

  • the project you didn't finish

  • the person you haven't become

WHAT’S GOOD?

Cardi B Reaction GIF by MOODMAN

All too often, we're busy looking down at what's missing…

Comparing ourselves to neurotypicals who make it look easy…

What’s wrong will always be available.

As dyslexics, we carry shame like a second skin. 

Shame for who we disappointed. 

Shame for the gap between where we are and where we "should" be.

But shame has no peripheral vision. 

Shame only goes one direction and that’s down. 

So if what’s wrong is always available…

Then shouldn’t the opposite also be true?

Isn’t what’s right always available too? 

POLISH YOUR RAINBOW 

Rainbow Love GIF

Remember ROYGBIV from grade school? 

It’s the acronym for every color in the rainbow. 

Red | Orange | Yellow | Green | Blue | Indigo | Violet

Regardless of your level of dyslexia, every day, you still get to choose.

Whether to focus on this Full Spectrum of 7 colors.

Or to stare down at your shoes instead.

Polishing your rainbow means working the layers.

And showing up for yourself in small ways, especially when it's hard.



What if each layer was one area of life you could improve?

And paying attention to that layer was how progress happened?

THE RAINBOW METHOD (ROYGBIV)  

moving pink floyd GIF

R - Routines (the foundation that makes everything else flow)

  • Routines create pockets of predictability in a chaotic world

  • For dyslexics, they reduce decision fatigue and free up mental energy for the things that actually matter

  • Routines build trust with yourself, create momentum on autopilot, and give you a foundation stable enough to take bigger risks

  • Polish this layer by choosing one routine you've been meaning to establish and commit to it for a week

O - Output (make progress visible through action)

  • Output is the evidence you showed up

  • Dyslexics are often challenged with the follow-through. Output is how you turn potential into something you can point to and say "I did that"

  • Output builds momentum, proves you're capable, and turns abstract ideas into concrete evidence you can see

  • Polish this layer by finishing and sending the thing you've been "almost done" with for weeks

Y - You-time (rest, recharge, protect your energy)

  • You-time is how you protect the capacity to show up for what matters

  • Dyslexics burn extra cognitive fuel just navigating a world not built for us, which means rest isn't optional

  • You-time prevents burnout, restores clarity, and keeps you sustainable enough to finish what you start

  • Polish this layer by blocking off one time this week where nobody gets access to you

G - Growth (learn one new thing, practice)

  • Growth is how you stay sharp, relevant, and ahead of stagnation

  • The dyslexic brain thrives on new patterns and connections, which means feeding it fresh information keeps you adaptive and opens doors you didn't know existed

  • Growth expands your capabilities, builds confidence and proves to yourself you're still evolving

  • Polish this layer by giving attention to one thing this week that moves you closer to the person you're trying to become.

B - Bridges (reach out, connect, help someone)

  • Bridges are how you break the isolation that makes everything harder

  • Dyslexics often carry shame that makes us withdraw, but connection reminds us we're not the only ones struggling and that asking for help isn't weakness

  • Bridges create accountability and remind you that progress happens faster when you're not alone

  • Polish this layer by reaching out to the one person you've been avoiding because you're embarrassed about where you are right now


I - Input (what you consume and feed your mind)

  • Input is everything you let into your head: the news, social media, conversations

  • Dyslexics are highly sensitive to environment, which means bad input doesn't just annoy you, it drains your ability to think straight

  • Good input sharpens your thinking, gives you better material to work with, and keeps you motivated when your own thoughts turn dark

  • Polish this layer by cutting one source this week that consistently leaves you worse off than before you consumed it

V - Vision (look up, remember where you're headed)

  • Vision is what keeps you moving when the day-to-day grind feels pointless.

  • Dyslexics often get so stuck in what's not working right now that we lose sight of what we're building toward

  • Vision reminds you why you started, gives you permission to keep going on hard days, and helps you separate reality from noise

  • Polish this layer by writing down the one thing you'd be devastated not to accomplish in the next year

READY

Come At Me Suicide Squad GIF by Team Coco

It’s easy to sweat the small stuff….

Or let a single moment ruin the whole day.

Despite whatever chaos and unfairness is happening around us.

We still get to choose who and what gets our attention and when.

Polishing your rainbow’s layers doesn’t guarantee ‘success’.

But it does prepare you for Opportunity.

So that when it’s your moment to shine.

You won’t need to get ready.

Because you’ll already be ready.

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