International Literacy Month

In honor of International Literacy Month, I'm reposting this post about my own experience with illiteracy.

When I was a teenager my mother revealed to me that my father-- who was deceased-- had been functionally illiterate. I was amazed by this revelation. This was the first time I had a face to put with the issue of illiteracy. She explained the ways he got around his inability to read. How he was a truck driver and would match up the letters from his delivery orders with street signs, never really knowing what the streets were called. He would then memorize landmarks and various things to remember the streets. He would have her read his mail to him.

Finding out this information inspired me to want to help adults who were illiterate learn to read. I wanted adults to have a safe place to go to learn how to read without judgement. I became a tutor in an adult literacy program in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. The people I met came from all walks of life, and various countries. I met a couple from Italy who wanted to earn their GED so that they would be able to get better jobs. First they needed to learn how to read. They were eager learners and were never late for a session.

Then there was a man who was 80 years old. As I taught him his alphabet, I looked at the wedding ring on his left hand. "How long have you been married?" I asked him. "Over 50 years, but my wife died recently." He responded.  I felt so horrible for bringing up the subject. Then I realized over the course of working with him, that although his wife died, this man didn't roll over and die with her. He was working to accomplish a life long dream, learning to read.

According to an ABCNews article, "Living in the Shadows: Illiteracy in America"  7 million Americans are illiterate, 27 million are unable to read well enough to complete a job application and 30 million can't read a simple sentence.

Do you know anyone who is suffering with illiteracy in silence? Being illiterate impacts every area of a person's life as the above article shows.

 It's never too late to learn to read and change the course of your life. Check out my previous post, "Impossible Things"  which highlights George Dawson who learned to read and wrote his autobiography.

Change, Even When You Don't Feel Like It

We all have goals that we would like to accomplish. At this time of the year, people believe they want to change. Everywhere you turn there are books,  magazine articles, and television specials about improving your life. It's a very inspiring time really.

What happens, however, when all of the hoopla is over and you are left with all of the actual work you must do to change. For many people the goals they first created for themselves begin to fade. They lack the motivation or "will" to do what must be done.

A person once told me, "You keep waiting for something big to happen. You keep thinking that you're going to have this aha moment. No book, or tv show, or person has the answer you are looking for. Change happens when you simply take action."

This advice stuck with me for a long time. I ran the words over and over in my mind before I ever decided to make any changes. Really, change is that simple. If you want to change something, you take action. Then you repeat the action consistently.

I usually don't feel like doing the work involved in making my lasting changes, but over time I've learned to do the work anyway.

I heard a quote once that says, "You will never regret a good workout." I think this could apply to anything a person wants to accomplish in life. Often just thinking about something you have to do too much causes you to lose your energy.

Every excuse in the world pops into your mind to keep you from doing the work. I've learned that once you just get up and do the thing you are avoiding, you will never regret it. Instead you will feel accomplished and good about doing the necessary work to achieve your goals.

Every step you take brings you closer to realizing your dreams.

I came across these two articles in the Huffington Post which I believe have tips to help us all stay on track at any point in the year.

My goal for this year is to: Follow Through, and Finish What I Start.

What are some of your goals, not just for the new year, but for your life?

Unlimited

I had a majorly rough week recently. Right before the rough week began, I was visiting the local library and I picked up a copy of Jillian Michaels' book, "Unlimited".
If you've followed Jillian Michaels on The Biggest Loser you know that she is a no-nonsense type of person, and I felt like she would give me the push I needed to get myself back on track.

During the week that I spent crying my eyes out, Jillian was there with me. As I read her book it seemed as if the answers to everything I was distressed about were laid out for me.

In the book, Jillian teaches readers how to believe and take action in order to create an ideal life.  She stresses that it's not enough to only believe, but you must do the work as well.

As a result of reading her book, I took immediate action and was able to change a highly stressful situation for the better. I know that I came across her book that week for a reason!

If you know that you need to make some big changes in your life, check out Jillian's book "Unlimited".