I am a Co-author of the book Turning Points ? and to give as many people the opportunity to read MY STORY ? ?The Slow One, From Dyslexia To International Career?? I have decided to share it with my readers. Enjoy?
In the beginning ?I, myself, was always recognised?. as the ?slow one? in the family. It was quite true, and I knew it and accepted it. Writing and spelling were always terribly difficult for me. My letters were without originality. I was? an extraordinarily bad speller and have remained so until this day.? ? Agatha Christie
Have u ever read a gape and not kombleteli understoed wat it sad? Have u witten a word uzing totalli differnt letters and tuning letters arownd? It is a little like learning a new language everyday?
Even without a formal diagnosis, I understood early on (at age two to three) that I was different; I have come a long?
way from the ?dumb?, ?stupid?, ?lazy? labels that were part of my primary and secondary school experience. No one at work or in my personal life other than my family has known about my dyslexia ? until now! I was and still am ?afraid? that it will go against me in my personal and work life. It is often said that dyslexic children are extra creative; however, I think dyslexia lends itself to a different way of thinking and doing. Always thinking outside the box ? as this is the way my brain functions ? can actually make it quite difficult to write something in an organised manner. Living in a very nice suburb in Rotterdam, a big port city, with my parents and two older brothers and a younger sister, I guess I was always the one who was just not quite so bright. My family is very clever and they all went to university in Holland, but in secondary school my parents were told that I was ?dom? and would never be able to go to university ? I would go to the lowest level school available and work in a shop. ?They?re ruining my life! The school doesn?t even know what I can do,? I told my parents. They, of course, did not agree with the school?s assessment and I was sent to a small high school where I was given extra time and attention which was helpful. Because my dyslexia did not affect me, it gave me the confidence to go further in life. My language grades were terrible in the first years of high school ? until I knew that I was going to go to the USA, that is. Then suddenly my English grades went up from Ds to As in two short months. Amazing what motivation and enthusiasm can do!
At 16 years of age I wanted to spend a year in the USA on a high school exchange. I thought it would be the best way to leave Holland and all the negative school experiences behind me. I knew 100 per cent for sure that I would love it. I would be able to live on my own, without people always saying, ?Can you do this?? or ?Can you do that?? My mother saved up for me to go on this exchange, as she knew that it would be very good for my future. I applied to a well-known exchange organisation (EF), but was not allowed to go to the US, as I was judged to be too shy and lacking in confidence (real dyslexia traits). They were afraid that I would not be able to live without my family. Me? Unable to live without my family? The USA at that time did actually have phones and computers?
My Turning Point I have never been so mad in my life at a dream not coming true. After another ?NO, you cannot go on a US exchange?, I told my mum, ?I will go to the US and no one will stop me?. As many people know, another dyslexia trait is stubbornness and total determination! So I had the choice to give up? or to be determined and apply to more US exchange organisations. Well, I am not a ?giving upper? (the dyslexia term) and knew I would go to the US; I didn?t even think that I wouldn?t go there.
Making it happen I wrote to other exchange organisations. They said, ?As you?re so determined ? you have already achieved your year.? So I went to the US at 16 to live with a family in Nebraska. I had no problem with my dyslexia! I had the best English grade in the class: me ? a Dutch girl with dyslexia! It was the best decision I ever made. Definitely the best time of my life? This is not a Turning Point showing how I overcame my struggles, but the story of coming a long way by walking the talk, demonstrating that with positive decisions and helping others, everyone with dyslexia can do the same. I realised that, along with weaknesses, I also had strengths ? not just stubbornness and determination! My passion is to develop and stimulate people; although I have dyslexia, I can still wear a business suit and achieve things professionally.
My plan for improvement I? ? worked harder and longer than anyone during my teenage years and twenties, using every strategy I could find to successfully pass my exams, finding ways that no one knew existed in terms of studying, and receiving merits and distinctions for all my diplomas, a BA, a MA HRM and even a MBA. It was every bit as hard as I knew it would be; it meant working long hours and sticking with it ? YET, I did it my way! ? went to study in Scotland and England, as I did not feel like Holland was ?my country?, due to my dyslexia in Dutch. (A psychologist I once chatted to in a professional women?s club said that my feeling of being uncomfortable in Holland was due to a traumatic childhood. It would have been good to see my parents? faces at this. Me? A traumatic childhood just because of my dyslexia? Very funny!) I knew my English was a lot better than my mother tongue? AND although I do not have a US or British passport, I probably belong there more than in my native country. Perhaps this is another challenge for the future? ? I decided I would: ? travel more. ? network. ? help children with dyslexia. ? be positive in my behaviour and thinking
Moving forward my way I learned the only way to manage dyslexia is to work with, not against, it. I have had many choices: to be the person others wanted me to be or become who I wanted to be; wondering why I never achieved my dreams, or using my dyslexia to improve my survival strategies and my drive to achieve what I really want from life. Dyslexia and people not believing in me did not stop me from reaching my dreams, as I now have my own business. I even studied Arabic, using my dyslexia as a positive tool in my life ? not so ?slow? now!
Wisdom from along the way I have learned? ? Respect your individuality. ? Cultivate a stubbornness, a determination to achieve what you want. ? Never ever, ever give up. ? Set goals for success. ? Use your intuition. ? Remember: One door closes and many others open?
I thought it would be a good idea to put this story?as a post, as?I have been thinking a lot about my blog post writing and how far I can go with?sharing personal stories ? there is so much I can write about. Yet, in today?s world one has to be very careful of what one shares?
I can write about things such as: ??Being unemployed: (a couple of weeks after resigning now ? and enjoy getting up a little later than usual, walking 8km in 45C+ and of course searching globally for that adventurous HR opportunity with international colleagues?) ??Social life: Kuwait for (western) women is well a little different in terms of social life ??My own business Human Resources Global Ltd. is doing great ? thinking of expanding to the expatriate community globally ? what would your advise be for my business? Any changes?
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