Ever ask yourself about the origin of the ham sandwich?

Just me? Ok!

Well in 1762, John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, accidentally revolutionized food history.

This gambling-addicted aristocrat was so damn obsessed with not leaving the card table that he demanded ham slapped between bread so he could eat one-handed while betting away his fortune.

Insta-Ham Influencer

The original Ham Influencer wasn't trying to reinvent food. He just wanted to keep playing cards without getting grease on the royal flush.

If he were alive today, he'd have his own Insta-ham page!

This simple ham innovation changed everything. 

Preserved, affordable, and portable, the ham sandwich became the ultimate convenience food as assembly line workers needed fuel they could consume with one hand while keeping the other on their machines

Sounds familiar? It should.

Ham It Up 

Your brain has been making its own sandwiches all along. Let's look at what's on your menu.

When your dyslexic brain refuses to process that spreadsheet the "normal" way, you're not failing – you're having your Earl of Sandwich moment.

The elaborate system of voice notes you use instead of writing things down? Your ham sandwich.

I have a friend – let's call her Hannah – who writes academic papers by speaking her thoughts into a recorder, transcribing them, printing the pages, cutting them into paragraphs with scissors, and physically rearranging them on her floor until the structure makes sense. Her professors call her work brilliant. They never see the paper fragments scattered across her apartment. That's her ham sandwich.

The way you rearranged your entire workflow because traditional methods were torture? Your damn ham sandwich.

The Ham Stand 

When you stand by your methods instead of hiding them, your "weird" solutions get the credit they deserve. Others might even adopt them, or at the very least - get out of your way.

These aren't workarounds. They're innovations born from necessity.

• If you can solve a complex math problem correctly but can't explain your method or show your work – does that make it less of an achievement? Hell no. It makes you efficient
  

• The dyslexic who photographs every set of instructions rather than attempting to read them isn't being difficult – they're being smart
  

• The dyslexic who insists on verbal confirmations instead of emails isn't being high-maintenance – they're ensuring nothing gets missed.

The Hams and the Ham Nots

You don't need to be Richard Branson or have some mythical "dyslexic superpower" to honor your sandwich solutions. 

You just need to recognize that solving problems your way isn't settling – it's often the most direct path to you innovating.

Dyslexics can be tight-lipped about how they get things done while in neurotypical circles for fear of judgment or being further misunderstood.

But among our own, we share willingly in hopes that our H-I-T-S (Hacks, insights, tips and strategies) can lessen another one's burden.

HammerTime! 

So what's your ham sandwich?

That unconventional solution you've developed that works brilliantly for your brain?

Stop apologizing for it. Own it. Perfect it. Hell - teach it.

Because the Earl wasn't trying to be revolutionary. He just wanted to stay at the damn table.

And sometimes, that's innovation enough.

Own Your Sammie, Own Your LEX

• Full Ass It: Stop downplaying your methods and start perfecting them. Your workarounds aren't compromises – they're custom solutions built for your unique brain.

• Hold the Mayo: Others not getting your sandwich solution doesn't mean it's not awesome. Maybe you're just not communicating it well enough. This tells us it's not your work, it's how you talk about it.

• Ham on Glass: Put your ham sammie on display. The most valuable thing you can do for other dyslexics isn't pretending you've got it all figured out – it's showing them exactly how your sandwich is made. Your weird method might be their missing ingredient. 

 
Will They Ever Name a Sandwich After You?

Others might be blown away by how you do what you do.

But only if you let them in on your special sauce! 

Name Your Sammie!

Let’s hear it! Write your sandwich’s name in the comments.

Mine’s easy: The Dacious - that’s short for Claudacious! 

Now imagine walking into a deli at lunch and overhearing “OMG Jane, this Dacious is delicious”

Your turn!