In 5th grade, a specialist diagnosed me with dyslexia. It felt like a death sentence. All of school was a battle.

Now, I read 1-2 books a week.

A short on lessons I’ve learned through my disability grind.

Inspired by @AlexAndBooks_

1. Try not to feel anxious. No one understands every point. No one recognizes every word in every book. Some sentences are just confusing! Most importantly: You’ll have to work hard and take your time, but that’s ok! You’ll learn more than those who read fast with ease.

2. The more you read, the easier it gets. You’ll start to recognize words, sentence structures, idea flows, and story patterns. The letters and symbols will always be jumbled, but soon it won’t matter. You’ll start to see the higher level patterns—and that’s what really matters!

3. Look at the page like a painting not a math equation. Who cares if “i comes before e.” Read for the shape of the words, the direction of the sentences, and the flow of the paragraphs.

You don’t need the details.

Skeptical? It works. I bet you can read this:

4. Embrace the freedom of quitting. Don’t understand a paragraph? Go to the next one. Don’t like the chapter? Go to the next one. Find the book boring? Go to the next one.

You have no expectations to meet.

You have nothing to prove.

Read for fun.

Read for you.