@ashleyspencer

I mean for me, my hangups around this aren't around title or responsibilities or wealth. CEOs can go jump and I wish they would. But as a "gifted kid" I was taught from a young age that my value lay in my talent and potential, and there was always an expectation that I would grow up to be in some way remarkable on a grand scale. A famous creative or performer, someone who left a legacy or changed the world. So being 36 and not having done any of those things on a grand scale, it hits me right in the childhood trauma. And I suspect a lot of burned out former gifted kids (many of whom are autistic) have similar stories. Autistic folk are more resistant to social expectations, it's true, but we can still absolutely get saddled with harmful internalized messages like these.

It's taken a lot of therapy and hard work for me to even approach the possibility that being remarkable on ANY scale, including the one where I'm at right now, is good enough. That I am remarkable for who I am, not any of the things I've done or might do. And that goes for everyone. 🧡