Living with Dyslexia doesn't have to hold you back!

Here at TemplePM, as the Managing Director, I have first-hand experience of working with dyslexia. Life has been an interesting experience for me, despite enjoying maths growing up, English was so difficult. I was not told I was dyslexic until year 6 in primary school, so up until then I had already accepted that writing and spelling was problematic. After having an official diagnosis, I then received some support, but I viewed this as a negative because that support came in extra sessions during break and lunch when all I wanted to do was play football with my mates! High school was interesting because you start to realise what you may be good at and then learn you’re crap at others. I am hopeful things are different at Schools now, but I’m not sure.

Dyslexia has not prevented me from working and becoming successful in running my own company. I have learnt to adapt and survive with various techniques. Top of my strategies list is ‘delegation’. I am fully aware of my inability to spell, along with the time-consuming task if having to write more than a paragraph. Although technology is helping with spellchecker and Alexa/Siri verbal assistants, it does not prevent me from feeling frequently overwhelmed. Instead of getting stressed with a written task I surround myself with people I know can help. There really is no point struggling to do something over a week that someone else could do in an hour! I fully accept that my dyslexia is not going to improve/change so it is best to persevere with the tools (people) available.

I accept that my short-term memory is awful! I find lists a huge struggle to repeat because my brain muddles up something that has just been said. You cannot give me a verbal shopping list even if it is just a few items. Trying to order fast food for my family is a painful process which results in the phrase ‘fast food’ being fully abandoned! There is an obvious delay from the listening to the processing to the speaking. If someone tells me an email address over the phone it needs to be given really slowly! My brain chooses to change the order of letters, I simply have no control over it. I can know how to spell a word one day but not the next, it can be baffling sometimes. This may have caused me struggles as a child in classes where writing was the focus of the lesson but as an adult I have learnt to embrace it.

I may have to triple check every email before I send it out, but dyslexia does not prevent me from working. It may delay every process and be frustrating at times, but it should not thwart anybody’s dreams from emerging. I might not be able to write an essay on block management skills, but I can easily give an oral presentation without hesitation. I do not let my dyslexia get in the way of progress. Being able to easily spell and write can be taken for granted by most people but we can not all be perfect at everything. Our strengths and weaknesses can drive us if we choose to accept them and find ways to use/avoid them. Did I write this article? Of course not, but the content is all mine. Being labelled Dyslexic does not have to stop you, success can be your dream too. Find a way!