Let me tell you something, honestly and straightforwardly: there is a special kind of strength that develops in the people the world tends to overlook. These are the folks who get dismissed, underestimated, and pushed aside like the “extra” napkin in the takeout bag. You know… the ones everyone swears they do not need—until life hits, and suddenly we are the only ones holding everything together.

That is the struggle of being ignored… yet still depended on.

My friend, it will shape who you are.

Being counted out is not just about people doubting you. It is the quiet jabs, the closed doors, and the whispered assumptions that you do not have what it takes. It is when they overlook your potential and ignore your brilliance. It is when you decide your story is “less than” because it does not look like theirs.

It is the coworker who thinks you are too quiet or too loud, and the family member who thinks you are too bold or too shy. It is the group that underestimates your leadership as well as the room that underplays your value. It is all the ways you hear, “Not you… anybody but you.” Yes, it hurts. Let us not dance around that. Being dismissed has a sting. Well, here is the sweet, divine irony:

The same people who count you out often turn around and count on you.

This is what they forget:
You have receipts.
You have resilience.
You have results.

They might not have noticed you, but they noticed your work. They did not applaud you, but they relied on your steadiness. They overlooked your presence, but they needed your strength. Suddenly, you are the one they call when the storm hits, the one they trust when the deadline is burning, and the one they lean on when the world starts spinning. No, you did not ask for the spotlight—they came looking for your light. That is what happens when divine purpose is evident in you. Even when people do not choose you, life does. God does. Your divine assignment does.

You cannot be counted out when you were made to be indispensable.

They may not have noticed you, but they noticed your work. They might have overlooked your name when credit was most important, but they never hesitated to depend on your steadiness when everything around them wobbled. They ignored your presence as if you were optional, yet somehow your strength became the backbone they relied on without question. Suddenly, you become the one they call when the storm hits. You are the one they trust when the deadline is burning, the one they turn to when the world starts spinning out of control. The funny thing is—you did not seek the spotlight. You were not chasing attention. You were simply being who you are: solid, steady, faithful, prepared. Still, they came looking for your light because purpose has a way of shining through even the deepest shadows of others’ misunderstanding.

That is what happens when divine purpose is all over you. You cannot hide it. You cannot shrink it. You cannot silence it just because someone else didn’t see it. Even when people do not choose you, life does. God does. Your assignment does. Somehow, despite every rejection, you still rise to the position you were meant for not because they included you, but because Heaven never excluded you.

Let us be real: being counted on after being counted out feels complicated. There’s a part of you that wants to raise an eyebrow and say, “Oh, now I am valuable?” Another part wants to walk away on principle and let people face the consequences of sleeping on you. Then, there is that quiet voice inside you—the seasoned, evolved, grown-woman voice—that knows the truth: when you are called, you are called.

When something divine is woven into your spirit, you carry it whether or not anyone else ever recognizes it. Being relied on, even by the same people who once dismissed you, is simply proof that nothing about you was accidental or overlooked by God. You have always had what it takes. You have always been equipped. Their blindness did not lessen your purpose; it only delayed their awareness of what Heaven already knew.

Your New Mindset Moving Forward

Stop letting the feeling of being counted out cause you to shrink, and the weight of being counted on makes you resentful. Instead:

1. Know your worth before others do. People take longer to see it. That is not your concern.

2. Stand firm in your role without losing your sense of self. Being dependable does not mean you have to be drained.

3. Use what they overlooked as motivation, not bitterness. Your growth is more powerful than their doubts ever could be.

4. Remember: God’s math does not match theirs.
They count you out with faulty arithmetic; God keeps bringing you back into the equation.

So, if you have ever felt the sting of being underestimated or the weight of being overlooked, yet somehow you are still the one everybody leans on when things get real, let this settle in your spirit: you were never disqualified. Being counted out was simply the setup that positioned you to be counted on. The world may skip over your name. People may misunderstand your power or even underestimate your capacity, but purpose does not suffer from their shortsightedness. Purpose remembers. Divine calling remembers. More importantly, God remembers.

When does God do the counting? You always add up—every single time.

Coach Erika