Power struggles come in many shapes and sizes. Some are quite literal, such as the small and the large. Others are more technical and involved, like economic or social class. In all walks of life, the level of importance an individual serves is challenged and tested, most of the time unfairly. For this individual, he or she is deemed an outsider, a newcomer, an underdog, a novice, anything that assumes the most little worth of a person. For this individual, he or she is underrated and underestimated, but here are five reasons that is not such a bad thing.
1. Rumors only fuel your next steps.
Greek philosopher Epictetus said, "If evil be spoken of you and it be true, correct yourself, if it be a lie, laugh at it." You have nothing to worry about once a rumor is spread too thin. There is nothing to prove to others. The game of telephone leads to overbearing speculation that was never even close to the truth from the start. People will talk a lot but say very little in these personal moments, so there is no controversy. Let these crooked stories get straighten out on their own through your actions and words instead of through others'.
2. Calling your bluff becomes embarrassing.
Weaknesses are frowned upon in those who claim to have strength over you. These self-righteous judgments towards you are made with the intent to overpower you out of a need for the judge to validate his or her own power. You embody a strength unique to yourself that no one else has. When people attempt to take away this power, you realize they cannot do so. They thought wrong about you and perpetuate assumptions that fall flat in the end. People who do not have a leg to stand on fall flat as well and their reputations become sullied very quickly. You are unscathed by their game of dominance because they forgot that the only person you are competing with is yourself.
3. Expectations set for you are your own.
Bright Hopeful Expectation Begin AsphaltThe expectations people have of you are already low. Creating expectations for yourself gets easier with time since they are higher than any others imagine of you. Your shortcomings are your own and your successes are your own, as you encounter and define them. No one else has the power to restrict your goals or change your dream, only you do. No one can walk in your footsteps or fill your shoes except you. Your journey is not their journey. They will act as obstacles, making suggestions that are more cruel than kind, but you know better than to humor their detours. The path you pave can only be cemented and navigated by your hands, your feet and your eyes.
4. Your followers are genuine like you.
Someone underrated and underestimated might also be underappreciated. However, there are people that understand you and see the value you bring to both each others' lives. You are not spoiled or conforming to what is popular or considered the status quo. You do not settle on "normal" except your own definition of the word. Your following is small not because you do not deserve more notice. You do not wish to draw attention to yourself inadvertently or even intentionally. Your wish is to make a difference naturally without forcing the issue artificially. You do not have the loudest voice, but nonetheless, you have a voice people did not know they needed to listen to.
5. You thrive on being different.
No one can predict your every move. You float in and out of interests easily and effortlessly with a creative flow that has no strict routine or cycle. Without a certain dissonance, you could not be true to who you are. It is necessary for you to follow your gift and to use what you do best with the world. You avoid fads and trends knowing, like everyone and yourself, they are fleeting and temporary. The only thing that makes a lasting impression is being different, which means being you, underrated and underestimated or not.
You have to live your niche.
