Every Experience Counts

Growing up with a disability, I have always had 2 kinds of people in my life; one who have had more faith in me than I would ever have in myself and who believe that I can achieve any goals that I set for myself. The second category, and these have been more in number but have also made for pretty interesting experiences, are ones who believe I use my disability as an advantage and have no real potential. They believe that any achievements I have are a direct result of the accommodations and favors I have received but that I am nothing but an object of pity. There are even instances where my abilities and victories are attributed to God and some weird giftedness, which is apparantly given to me as a compensation for my visual impairment. And honestly, I am extremely grateful for both sets. I will explain why - 

From a very young age, I have had an extremely strong and encouraging support system with family, friends and teachers who believed in me and were willing to adapt to the way I perceived the world. These people tried their best to instill confidence in me for who I could become in life. My loved ones never treated me any different from others, whether in good times or bad. I was praised and reprimanded just as much as my brother and paused to get out of my comfort zone from time to time while still realizing and accepting my limits. I was given the right information, tools and expectations to not simply choose a path and go ahead,without considering the practicality, but rather, make an informed and rational decision while accepting my impairment and acknowledging my qualities. And for me, that was the norm - I thought everyone had that, and I was wrong. As I got older, I came to realize how what I had was special and unique and this made me appreciate it even more. And one thing I promised myself was, I will do something, anything, to help people who did not have what I did; someone who would understand their experiences for what they were and maybe, make them feel less alone.

Now, the second category of people are responsible for my realizations of the world around me. Had I not been teased, bullied, belittled and even insulted publically for simply standing up for my rights, I would never have realized the true complexities of the world as well as the human nature. I recall instances where my skills and capabilities were questioned despite actual evidence of me being good at them I was discouraged from participating in activities because someone thought they would be difficult for me, no one stopped to consider that maybe, just maybe, I could actually perform well at something other than the bare minimum.

As time went on, I chose Psychology as my field of study due to the points mentioned above. I was perplexed and intrigued by such diversity in thoughts and behaviors of people and got motivated to better understand the same. Today, as I have gotten to a place where I dreamed to be and know that I can see my path for the roller coaster it is, I cannot help but reflect on how my life has transpired. It is an interesting feeling, getting closer to your dreams and being able to have an impact on people's lives, not just through education and learning, but by simply sharing my struggles and experiences with them.

Recently, I have had the opportunity of interacting with people living with issues similar to struggles I have faced and I was able to not just understand their fears but also able to share my own experiences, obstacles and hindrances with them. Receiving their feedback of how hearing parts of my journey gave them courage to step forward on their own and how, knowing that what they are feeling is a natural response to life's events but also that no hurdle is unsurmountable, has made me overwhelmed. It is one thing to want to be there for someone and trying to be there for someone, but hearing you have actually touched someone's life for the better, is an emotion even I can’t pinpoint.

So, moral of the story, no dream is so big that you can’t achieve it. No road is so bumpy that it can't be walked on. Meeting people in life and helping them out is not about holding their hand and solving their problems for them; it is about accepting them for who they are, recognizing their limitations but also appreciating their talents and helping them reach their full potential. Have some empathy. Be brave. Be strong.