The One Belief that Made a Dyslexic Girl an Award Winning Writer
I'm throwing in an inspiring quote at the end.
Have you ever doubted your abilities?
I know I have.
For the last 2 years I’ve been writing, I feel as if I have not much to show for. But now, I realize that what I have is much more valuable than I could ever imagine.
I’d like to make clear the core reason behind this feeling of doubt. And, how you can stop doubt dead in it’s tracks.
There’s a destructive belief that lives within much of humanity. This belief is called the “the worthless knowledge belief”.
The worthless knowledge belief is the idea that what we know isn’t that valuable and that we have little to offer.
But, that’s just not true, and I’d like to tell you why.
Local Knowledge
Friedrich Hayek, an economist, wrote extensively on knowledge.
One type of knowledge he speaks of is “local knowledge”.
Local knowledge is the information of our context. It’s the unique knowledge each of us as individuals holds because of our place in time and space. Local knowledge gives us a distinct perspective that allows us to locate opportunities that no one else sees.
In your context, there are hidden opportunities you can unlock.
Next up is a story of how realizing one’s local knowledge and making something of it, gives you results you’d never expect.
How a Dyslexic Girl Became an Award Winning Writer
There’s this wonderful quote from Octavia Estelle Butler that sums up the power of local knowledge. But, before I share the quote, let me tell you a bit about Octavia’s amazing life.
Octavia was raised by a single mother.
As a child she was shy and introverted. This led her to regress further and made her believe that she was “ugly and stupid, clumsy, socially hopeless”. To make things worse, Octavia had mild dyslexia which made schoolwork difficult.
Amazingly, this same girl, became one of the most successful science-fiction writers of her generation, winning a Nebula award. (the most prestigious for the genre)
A girl with dyslexia became an award winning writer!
It all started when Octavia watched a 1954 film titled “Devil Girl From Mars” that she thought was so terrible that she was determined to write something better. It’s funny how a little belief can go so far.
Although Octavia came from a background of difficulty, she believed that she knew enough to change her situation.
She changed her context by changing her mind.
This brings me to the quote from Octavia, which I think sums up the idea of local knowledge quite well.
“Use what you have; even if it seems meager, it may be magic in your hands.”
Whatever you have, use it.
You might be a magician.