Terri's Story, Part 2
"We were all made different for a reason."
Most of my childhood was difficult, not because I was a bad kid, but because I couldn’t read or write well. This affected my grades in every subject. Being dyslexic made school challenging, and I was labeled the "dumb kid." One teacher loved having spelling bees every Friday. We had to stand up and spell out loud, and needless to say, I never got to stand in front of the room. The first few times I tried to spell something, the kids laughed at me. So, I learned to act out and get in trouble to be sent to the hallway. I became known as the "cool kid" who was terrible and couldn't spell.
Despite this, I was smart and had big ideas, but looking bad in front of my friends took a lot of work. I hung out with the kids across the street because I didn’t feel like I fit in anywhere else. Even as the "cool kid," it was tough when teachers returned tests with big red marks and poor grades. I would try to cover my paper so no one else could see it. When the teacher wanted us to read aloud, I would count down and act up to get kicked out of class to avoid embarrassment.
School wasn’t where I built good self-esteem, and I doubted I could be somebody. But here's the big secret: it gave me the determination to show them I wasn’t dumb. It drove me to learn everything I could about the furniture industry, as I was determined to start the largest consignment furniture store in the country. I worked hard, never gave up, and tried different ways until I succeeded.
I built the largest consignment furniture store, 20,000 square feet, and then opened seven more stores in my state. I franchised and opened more stores nationwide and a couple of company stores in Atlanta. From the $2000 I borrowed from my grandmother, the company grew to $36 million. I was invited to give speeches, started writing books, and invented a brilliant spelling map to share with others. I wrote books about furniture and decor, and one day, I was asked to give a speech.
Remembering when I gave a speech in school and almost walked out, I was determined to prove myself. I became a great speaker, with engagements nationwide and even in Canada, earning my second million-dollar company. I was featured on TV talk shows on the front page of the Wall Street Journal and won awards for showing people that you can do anything when you believe in yourself. There were billboards all over town with my face, a fun sight for someone who once had no self-esteem in the classroom.
I started in the TV industry, creating TV shows for four years and attending big events where I met famous people, movie stars, and actors. I was named Entrepreneur of the Year and received an award in New York at a big event, where Katie Couric and Whoopi Goldberg presented me with my award. That recognition felt like the "A" I always wanted in school.
Those school days motivated me to work hard, take risks, and not listen to negative opinions. I believed in myself, acted with integrity and kindness, and was passionate about helping others. I wanted to be liked for who I really was.
One day, a school called and asked me to speak to their fourth and fifth graders. Despite my bad memories of school, I agreed. The auditorium was packed, and the teachers were excited to hear me speak. I told the kids, "I was the kid least likely to succeed, and today I’m a millionaire. Don’t work hard on your grades and homework just for your teachers or parents—do it for yourself. You never know who you’ll grow up to be—a famous author, painter, inventor, or a millionaire with businesses across the country. We were all made different for a reason. Your story is inside of you. Believe in yourself, no matter what others say. Don’t give up. You are the most important person, no matter your disability."
"I’d like to share with you a list of famous people with learning disabilities. In them, you can see all the different ways you can shine. Believe in yourself—you can do it. I know."
Click here to get "The Spelling Map" — Your First Step to Learning to Spell and Read