March 14, 2016

I am Who I am Because I am Dyslexic

I am Who I am Because I am Dyslexic

Blog inspired by Marie Gilman, a good friend who reminded me how important it is to share.

By the time I was 12 years old not only did I have language and learning difficulties, my family had moved to three very distinct and different countries; I was born in Mexico, moved to Israel, and later to the U.S.. Each time I faced insurmountable challenges having to adjust, assimilate, and learn new languages. I had difficulties expressing myself, understanding what I read, and my writing was atrocious.

What saved me, was a Jewish mother, unrelentless in her commitment to help me overcome my obstacles. Eventually though, what I needed most, was to find my own way, to build my own internal dialogue, develop a life game plan, and love me for being dyslexic.

I Love Being Dyslexic

I think, I feel, and I am different….and I love it. I am a three dimensional thinker and dreamer. I see and understand human nature, and experiences that are unrelated and I connect them. I am extremely acute to language, tone, and read both energy and body language. I make it a point to approach at least 5 new strangers a day, and start a conversation in creative and refreshing ways. I love ideas, and connecting them to make things up…more on that later.

One Book that Changed My Outlook on Life

Strenghts 2.0 by Tom Rath, built my internal armor, my confidence, and gave me the Ah Ha moments I needed to believe I myself. All along, I knew that I was different, finding out that those were the strengths that made me uniquely beautiful; gave me the road map to use them in my life’s passion, purpose, and work.

My five strengths are Ideation, Input, Intellection, Positivity, and Strategic (what are yours)?

“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” Jung

A Case Study of My Life’s Work

How I used my strengths (Ideation, Input, Intellection, Positivity, and Intellection) to follow my gut, and counter the experts because in the end, I must live and love myself. Over the past 7 years, I have designed over 100 hats, each with a saying on it…and the one that captivates and inspires more people into conversation is “See the World for Good.”

I hired a marketing person to brand my company; she, and a friend of mine who taught creative writing thought that “See the World for Good” was too vague in describing what my company now does. I didn’t follow their advice…because I see the world for good is a result of what naturally occurs when like-minded people believe in something greater than themselves. “See the World for Good,” has become my context, purpose, and the result of all my effort. It is becoming my philosophy to how I approach solving problems, mentor people, and transform my community.

“Everything You Can Imagine is Real.” Picasso

Seven years ago, I started on a journey to connect two unrelated businesses (recruiting and travel) to solve a problem…how can I use my recruiting talent to help make travel affordable; so that more people can see the world for good?

“I now use recruiting collaboratively to help people fund their travel. People make referrals that enable my company to use recruiting for good; we help people get jobs with companies to generate proceeds; we fund and reward travel.”

I don’t believe that everything must be literal; I believe that there is beauty in ideas, concepts, and words…put them together and they can transform conversations, relationships, and solve world problems…that is the beauty of being dyslexic understanding that there is magic in everything we do…we are unique in our perception of the world and create the unexpected.

Famous Dyslexic People Who Changed the World for Good

• Albert Einstein
• Leonardo da Vinci
• Ansel Adams
• Pablo Picasso
• Richard Branson
• Hans Christian Andersen
• Agatha Christie
• Ted Turner
• F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Steven Spielberg

I am grateful to be dyslexic, because it gives me the freedom and fortitude to do things few dare to do….create new ways for everyone to enjoy life, participate, and see the world for good.