Do What You do Well and Make It Stronger
ADHD Education
The pressure to perform is based on established standards that limit your ability to use your strengths. There is so much emphasis to meet established standards of performance that limit the options your brain is hard wired to pursue.
When you have to do things in a set, uniform way where you must conform to a set number of options you limit your ability to access your natural ways of doing things. You end up having to use your weakest areas of your brain. This kind of focus will exacerbate your impairing challenges of ADHD. To add negative fuel to the fire, there is also a pervasive belief that one of the ways to move up the ladder of success in school or at work is to focus on improving your weakest areas and work to make them stronger. Have you ever met anyone that reached peak of their success by focusing on making their weaknesses stronger? You get ahead in life by finding out what you already do well and doing more of it. Identify what you do well first and then work to make what you do well even stronger and watch your performance improve every time you do.
Let’s Share Strategies for Overcoming Procrastination
ADHD Education
Almost everyone procrastinates at some point.
Procrastination is one of the major issues that people with ADHD have a difficult time managing. They put of important tasks that need to be done today and may focus on trivial tasks which only delay their important priorities.
What strategies have you developed that help your tendency to procrastinate?
ADHD as a Deficit in Interest-Special to the Washington Post
ADHD Education
Brain Scans Link ADHD to Biological Flaw Tied to Motivation
By Katherine Ellison
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Renaming ADHD
ADHD Education
I really don’t like the label Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
I look at is a unique brain wiring with a set of brain challenges that can manifest in different situations.
However with proper diagnosis, treatment, understanding through education, team support from an ADHD therapist, coach and knowledgeable friends & family, your ADHD can be manageable.
You will hopefully identify and access many of your attributes and integrate them into your daily schedule. It takes work and discipline, but it can be done.
QUESTION: If you had the power to rename ADHD in a way that empowered those who have it, to take positive action, what name would you create?
Please use your imaginations to encourage and inspire. This will truly give people with ADHD “Permission to Proceed” with beginning a process of creating more fulfillment and joy in their lives.
Pay Attention to What You Can Do
ADHD Education
You have grown up with a belief that in order to climb up the ladder of success you need to focus on what you don’t do well and work hard to make it something you can do well.
What really serves you well is focusing on what you already do well and focusing on doing it even better.
You have to accept the fact that starting your day doing things that require your weaknesses are generally harder to do. If you focus your first activity of the day on your areas of interest and strength, you will quickly discover that it dramatically improves your energy and ability to complete specific goals. You will experience a greater sense of fulfilment knowing that you have accomplished an important project, task or objective you enjoy doing and does not drain your energy before your day gets started.
The way to greater opportunities and success is NOT by focusing your energy and efforts on making your weaknesses stronger. The only way to gain the momentum you need and get your “success engine” revved up is to pay attention to what you already do well and do more if it. This will help you maintain a consistent performance, positive outcome and after a period of time you will do these tasks even better.
The Key to Igniting Your Engine
ADHD Education
It recently dawned on me that I have started to go back to an old pattern. It is one that really does not empower me to get my engine all revved up for the exciting day ahead. I have to remember that every day is a new beginning with a new adventure waiting to happen. I have to give myself permission to use the key that starts my ignition.
That key is definitely not focusing on the boring, mandatory demands of life.
That doesn’t mean you neglect them but it does mean you can choose to place your attention on the things that get you excited; that are of high interest and utilize your strengths.
To get your momentum going means you don’t feel guilty about doing the things that give you energy and joy. You don’t feel bad doing the things that improve your focus. You have to accept the fact that starting your day doing things that are boring and require the use of your weaknesses are generally harder to do.
If you focus your first activity of the day on your areas of interest and strength, you will quickly discover that it dramatically improves your energy and ability to enjoy each day. You will experience a greater sense of fulfillment knowing that you have accomplished an important project, task or goal that you enjoy doing and does not drain your energy before your day gets started.
It’s Not Me—It’s My Brain: ADHD Can Affect Adults, Too
ADHD Education
It’s Not Me—It’s My Brain: ADHD Can Affect Adults, Too
TimesUnion.com
By Jayne Keedle/HealthyLife
Albany Man Uses ADHD Coaching to Help Him Follow His Passion
ADDCA In The News
Here’s a true story about how the coaching process empowers adults with ADHD to pursue their passionate purpose and what happens when they do.
Link to Full Article
Clutter in the Mind
ADHD Education
I just couldn’t take it anymore! I walked into my office and looked at my desk. I realized there were so many different items on various parts of my desk that I didn’t even know where to place my focus.
It dawned on me; my desk was simply a physical representation of the chaos going on inside my brain.
When I asked myself the question: “What is it that I’m going to focus on?” I was unable to make any kind of choice to take action. So, I did the impulsive thing, thank you ADHD. I went into the storage area of our basement and found the largest garbage can I could, took it into my office and started filling it up with just about everything except the books on my desk. I collected all the papers, which were stacked very high on my desk, and started putting them through my shredder.
As I was doing this, I kept saying, “What’s the worst that could happen?” “What’s the worst that could happen? “What’s the worst that could happen?” This mantra reminded me of a very important statistic I was told, many times, by a professional organizer: 85% of what we file we very rarely use. This statistic gave me the confidence to know I had a very good chance I would not need what I was shredding. I also was relieved to know that in the worst-case scenario, if I really needed something, I probably could find it in my computer files or on the internet.
After all the paraphernalia was placed in the garbage can, I could see just about everything on my desk. I felt a great sense of calm. I realized that our surroundings and environment truly inform us what’s going on inside our heads.
A clear desk represents a clear mind. I am working very hard to keep them both clear. I know when I do; the clutter in my mind will be converted into clarity.
What are you doing to keep your physical world more manageable and clear? I would love your thoughts on this important issue.
What’s The First Thing You Do?
ADHD Education
There are so many things we forget to do because we are so busy meeting the demands of life.
Sometimes I forget to take care of me. I get so hyper-focused on what I have to do, I forget to enjoy the simple opportunities in life; listening to some inspiring music, watching a movie that makes me feel good, reading a book, or calling a friend I haven’t talked to in a while.
These are the things that make you feel good, but you tend to forget them.
My wife always asks me, why don't you do what you want to do? Rather than thinking about it, as Nike says, “Just Do It.”
You always tend to neglect the things that are fun by first doing the things that are not.
I tend to put the fun, exciting things way down on my list. I tell myself that if I complete what I have to do, I will get to do the things I really want to.
Eventually, when I finally am able to focus on the fun things I am too tired. I lose my desire.
Today, why not make a pledge to do at least one fun thing every day that makes you feel good?
How many times a day, or week, are you going to do what you really want to do?
