It's been an interesting week (sickness, lingering power outage) and thus I'll be sharing one of the first articles I ever wrote from over five years ago. Though my writing has certainly improved, I was and remain proud of this one.

Early in elementary school I was told I had poor reading comprehension. No one told me what I was supposed to do with that information. It was just a truth of my ability, a given. I believed it until I was 22.

I believed it, I used it as a crutch, and never worked to overcome it. I barely read, and when I did I would give up partway into a book. I wasn’t understanding the material that well - well no wonder, I’m not good at comprehension.

Being told this at a young age was such a detriment to my perspective. For years I believed I would never comprehend well, that I would never be a reader.

Until I read The Count of Monte Cristo. The longest book I’ve ever read, and also my favorite. I was moved by the book, and realized then that I must have understood the story to feel such strong emotions.

Setting down that book was a big moment for me, my mindset had changed. From barely reading and not understanding to loving reading and mostly comprehending.

Before turning 22, I had read no more than 10 books. Since completing The Count of Monte Cristo 6 months ago, I’ve read 22.

So what did someone tell you, or you tell yourself when you were younger? That you can’t draw because the dog you drew wasn’t as good as the person’s next to you in 4th grade? That you can’t write a book because a C was the best mark you ever received on a paper?

Believing limits placed on us by ourselves and others will slow us more than where our ability truly lies. Find that thing you’ve always wanted to try again, or be better at, and get started.