What has been your biggest challenge, and what have you learned from it?

“You read at the pace of a first grader because your eyes don’t see together,” my ophthalmologist said explaining my vision disorder diagnosis.

Even though I was an “A” student, I found myself struggling in high school on timed exams. I knew the material, but I simply could not read fast enough to finish. Now that I knew the cause of this challenge, I just needed a solution.

Determined to persevere, I focused on what I could control. By organizing study groups to leverage complementary student strengths, I developed my management and listening skills, which proved to be as valuable as reading quickly. Writing bulleted study guides, I became an excellent information synthesizer—a talent I found valuable when leading teams in college and business.

Also, at work today, where my nickname is “Eagle-eye,” I have discovered that reading slowly can be an asset and has made me a natural proofreader. Slow and steady wins the race when catching errors, saving time on the backend.

What began as my Achilles heel led to the development of lifelong skills. It also taught me that by playing to my strengths, I could overcome even my biggest challenges.