Yep. That was me, for many years. At any given time, I had 200,000 unread emails, 167 unread texts, and would only respond to any of them if someone sent an obnoxious subject line like "Yo Idiot. Read this!" If you are already breaking out in hives, then get ready for this fun fact: until a few years ago, I'd only read two series, Jane Austen and Harry Potter. I won't admit which one I read in my teens vs. my thirties.
My reason for being such a piss poor reader: I had debilitating ADHD, well, still do, but just like every member of the feral generation (Go Gen X!), I learned to cope with it. The one academic area that suffered: reading. I read, but I did not retain a damn thing. I loathed reading comprehension tests and math problems. I developed an entire identity around being a "terrible reader."
Instead, I became a great listener. I was known as an incredible observer. I emerged as a sought after speaker, great on the fly with little preparation. I evolved my facilitation skills. I developed a deep level of empathy for other humans, because I learned from them, with them, and through their spoken narratives and stories. I set a goal to try something new and challenging every chance I had, because I was not a book learner but someone who learned through immersive experiences.
So I've traveled the world. I climbed the corporate ladder to the highest rung. I started my own business. I coach others without proselytizing, but rather with pragmatism. I write about the people, the places, and the predicaments I've seen and experienced. I craft short stories, they are more like journal entries, that someone like me can digest before becoming distracted by a spot on the ceiling or that weird clicking sound from the other room. Now I've even published what I wrote.
After doing all of those things, I stopped telling myself I was incapable of reading.
I'm on Day 647 of consecutive reading according to the Kindle app. What do I read? I read a ton of historical fiction, two to three books a week. I still don't remember what I just read, so I would be a terrible addition to your book club.
I will keep writing, though, and I hope to improve now that I am learning from other authors. I may even read one of my 200,000 unread emails. :)
