From Struggle to Story: How Reading and Writing Shaped My Life

Go, Dog. Go! This was the book my mother and I read over and over again when I was first learning to read. I’d read “dog” on one page, and then on the next page have no idea what it said. After a year of trying, my parents decided to try a new method: Hooked on Phonics. I can distinctly remember pacing back and forth in the tiny kitchen of our apartment, watching my bare feet move across the green tile floors as I listened to the tape playing in the boom box and trying to make sense of what I was hearing.

Third grade rolled around and I was still struggling to read and write. At the same time, I was going to be turning nine years old, which is when my parents told me I was allowed to start watching the Harry Potter movies that I heard the other kids talking about. I was desperate to be able to be able to read the novels that went along with the movies and when my father took me to the local Barnes and Nobel, I asked if I could get the first book.

Unsurprisingly he was skeptical of if I would actually be able to read it and made me a deal that if I could read one page, he would get me the book. I was sitting next to him on a short stool designed to look like a tree stump that went with the Winnie the Pooh theme of the children’s section, I took a deep breath, and I began to read. While there were words that I couldn’t quite get, I proved myself well enough to get the book (it was a compact, blue version of the novel) and I began reading voraciously from there.

By the time I was in the eighth grade, I was filling notebooks with stories and thoughts and emotions and I couldn’t imagine my life without written language being a central part. My love of reading and writing has only continued to grow. I couldn’t tell you what exactly changed that day at nine years old, but something clicked.

My life has been guided by books ever since. I truly believe that you can learn anything you need to know from books. Yes, there are life experiences that can resonate in a unique way to teach you a lesson, but in all likelihood someone has already had a similar experience and written about it somewhere.

I’ve also developed a deep level of empathy from reading. By hearing first hand perspectives of how others live their lives and face challenges, my default in interacting with others is to imagine a situation from their point of view. This allows me to connect and work with others in impactful and sensitive ways.

Writing has been key in helping me process my thoughts and feelings. I am able to give myself advice, understand a situation I’m facing with more clarity, and have a beautiful record of my life experiences. I have a trunk filled with journals from the time I was fourteen years old and I cherish this documentation of every mundane and meaningful moment in my life.

Appreciating and understanding what makes a good story has also informed how I influence and educate others in my career. Whether it’s telling my own story or helping a customer understand how they can achieve goals they have by partnering with me, having a natural (really, a carefully developed) ability to craft a narrative has served me well.

What started as a struggle and difficult skills for me became a defining part of who I am and what I value. Reading and writing are the most important activities I engage in and I am grateful to my parents for emphasizing their importance and supporting me in what must have seemed to be a never ending journey to learn. I’ve been feeling re-inspired to write here on the blog and to share all of the works I’ve been reading. Expect more soon!