In the song “If 6 Was 9” Musician Jimi Hendrix exclaimed "If 6 turned out to be 9, I don't mind, I don't mind."

But hot damn if he wasn't channeling dyslexic energy.

How do you get to "I don't mind" when you flip a letter, write the wrong date or miss yet another meeting?

A lot of us spiral. We question everything. One mistake becomes proof we're not capable.

But "I don't mind" comes from a different place. It comes from trusting that one mistake doesn't define your intelligence or worth.

The psychology behind this is called Locus of Control. When you trust yourself, mistakes become information, not ammunition.

Trust Beats Talent

Research shows that people with an internal Locus of Control - those who believe they have control over their outcomes - have better mental health, higher achievement, and more resilience when facing setbacks.
Sense of Coherence, Self-Efficacy and Locus of Control 

The real barrier isn't 6 somersaulting into 9 or the severity of your symptoms.

It's the lack of self-trust.

Studies show that feeling bad about your dyslexia hurts your confidence at work. Every mistake chips away at your confidence until you're second-guessing everything you know.  
The relationship between emotional experience with dyslexia and work self-efficacy among adults with dyslexia

What's Your Kryptonite?

What's your biggest Dyslexia Confidence Killer?

Mine convinced me I was dumb; that I'd maxed out my potential.

I was working as a bouncer, positive that was as good as it’d get for me.

Yet somehow today, I'm a Dyslexia Empowerment Specialist speaking about dyslexia, writing this newsletter and coaching professionals, while also continuing my work as an advisor to Fortune 500 legal and finance teams. 

So what if I need to read something three times? So what if you use voice-to-text because typing is a struggle?

Add as many “So whats” here as you see fit! 

Does that make you less than the person sitting next to you?

Just Between You and Me

Science aside and just between us girls - I get it. 

Before being awakened to my own potential, I honestly felt like my fate was already sealed.

I bought into the notion that external factors were responsible for what happened to me. 

And because I was a bad student (unless creativity was involved), my 'receipts' up until that time reflected someone incapable of anything beyond survival jobs.

Although I was fun and outgoing on the outside, inside me felt like a letdown in a family full of educators and high-level professionals.

That is - until I realized I was giving away all my power to circumstances beyond my control.

The shift to internal control changed my way of thinking; the belief that my own actions, decisions, and efforts could directly influence outcomes. 

One Decision Away

Learn to trust your judgment, even on small decisions.

Each time you get it right, you prove to yourself you're capable of MORE.

With each passing phase, you gain confidence that can be channeled into the next phase of your goals and ambition - rinse | repeat.

That's how you get to "I don't mind, If 6 turns out to be 9”.

Not because the mistakes stop happening, but because you stop letting them define you.