Do you know someone who may be a bit different?

I don’t mean looking different on the outside, I’m talking about Socially different.

Maybe, someone who answers questions with completely different answers than you could imagine or someone
who is fascinated with collecting something, or someone who knows everything there is to know about a certain topic.

Maybe, they are teche or a math wiz or can build things or have more ideas than they know what to do with or
just the opposite & very quiet & taking everything in.

Maybe, they think completely different than the world is used to.

Maybe, they are completely logical people & not very emotional or social.

Maybe, when you tell them, “I missed you.” They reply, “You just saw me yesterday.”

Maybe, when you almost tripped down the steps & you tell them, “I almost fell down the steps!”  They reply, very logically, “almost doesn’t count”.

Maybe, they don’t make eye contact with you or feel comfortable being hugged.

Maybe, they disagree with a lot of things you say because they see things differently.

Maybe, that is a good thing.

Definitely, That is my Dad!

My father is a very successful entrepreneur.

My father is a high functioning autistic adult.

My father is brilliant, he can run a huge company, he is a risk taker, he is an out of the box thinker, he is a top collector and mathematician, he is a Numismatist (Coin collector) he is somewhat childlike & gullible, he is kind, caring & the most generous person you could know.

But most of all, he is a fantastic father to 4 kids, he never stops thinking about us & always has our best interest at hand.
He takes interest in each one of us individually.
He helps me build projects no matter what his thoughts are about them..lol
He supports us & gives us feedback & suggestions.
He loves each of us in his own unique way.

My father is not very flexible, he doesn’t like change, loud noises, peanut butter or anything squishy to eat & can be a bit difficult to get along with.

My father could run a fortune 500 company with his eyes closed while multitasking 10 other top successful projects.

BUT – If my Father didn’t start his own companies, he would probably be unemployed.

Do you know why my Dad couldn’t get a job?

Because, my Dad would never get past the interview by the Human Resources person that does the hiring.
Because, my Dad doesn’t shake hands or make eye contact.
Because, My Dad doesn’t love being questioned, he likes to be the one asking the questions.

Because, My Dad is Different!

Different doesn’t mean bad.
There is No such thing as normal.

I attend a school who’s tag line is, “Where great minds learn differently”.

I am different & the opposite of my dad, I am severely dyslexic & have adhd.
I cannot spell other than phonetically. I cannot read well nor understand much of what I read.
Sometimes when I speak, I cannot get the right words out as they get jumbled up in my head & come out wrong.

Example: yesterday I had a Charley Horse (muscle cramp),
I dropped to the floor holding my leg muscle & shouted to my parents, “I have a Horse Collar!”
My father replied, “at least he got the Horse part right”. lol

I am highly intuitive, as well as socially & emotionally gifted.
I feel like I was put on this planet to help people like my dad be understood.

I get my dad.
He doesn’t choose to be the way he is, he was born this way.
He doesn’t really notice his differences.

This world was developed by all different people.
We need each & every one of them.

What if everyone was the same or learned in the same manner?

That is called a robot.

Even though sometimes my dad has robot like qualities as he can separate his emotions from his logical side.
He is a workaholic & can take on so much pressure from work, maybe that’s what makes him so successful.

I wouldn’t want to change anything about my dad because this is who he is supposed to be.

We need to embrace our differences & each others.

In 4th grade I found out I was dyslexic & after having the worst school year of my life & actually
being expelled from school at 9 years old because of my learning difference,
My mother turned around & said,
“I love your difference!”
She didn’t care that I couldn’t spell or read very well.
She found me fascinating. She couldn’t imagine how I was figuring things out in school & at home all those years of compensating for my dyslexia & receiving straight A’s all my school life.

It was because I see things differently, I never give up, when I get stuck, I find another way to get the answer.

From 3 years old I called Last night, “Yester Night”. I couldn’t make sense of what Last night meant.
Why would you say Yesterday, but not Yester night?
To this day, my family still uses the term Yester night!

I didn’t know how to set my alarm clock my Mom bought me,
I figured AM meant “At Morning” so PM must mean afternoon.

I don’t let things that I get wrong get me down, or I would always be down.

I focus on my strengths & what I am good at.
I am great at public speaking,
I am one of my schools ambassador and love giving tours to all the parents & visitors.
I am a good leader & role model to others. I am a good friend to everyone.
I am a good baseball pitcher and very athletic.
I have made many commercials & been featured in lots of articles for my Blogging/Vlogging career.

It is wonderful to see that companies are finally getting us, the way we get my dad & my parents & school get me!
When my mother read me this online article in Fortune Magazine about Autism in Jobs, it made me cry happy tears.

Finally, the world is starting to embrace people with differences.

We may not pass the typical interview process or even be able to fill out the forms, but you will want us on your teams, I can promise you that!

Over at EY they get us.  They are forward thinkers & understand that this is Not a one size fits all world!
We are all unique & its time to embrace all of our differences.

To all the others out there, please be open minded & creative in your hiring processes & you will create the strongest companies.

Forget what your hiring guidelines, tests & interview process were.

Start fresh & grab all this hidden talent, you won’t be sorry.

People who think differently can only bring a smile to your face, you never know what they are going to say or come up with.

I can tell you this, work will never be boring again!

Always remember ~ “Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.” Bill Gates