Learning to Pay Attention to What You Pay Attention To

ADHD Education

Over the last decade of coaching adults with ADHD I have consistently observed patterns of negative thoughts & beliefs that many of them would hold on to.

When I witness my clients, I will usually notice a consistent pattern of destructive beliefs that subconsciously direct their lives. In my experience, most adults with ADHD are not aware of the beliefs that dominate their lives or how their beliefs do or do not serve them well.

Over the last 15 years of coaching adults with ADHD, I have consistently observed patterns of negative thoughts & beliefs that many of them hold on to.

When I witness my clients, I will usually notice a consistent pattern of destructive beliefs that subconsciously direct their lives. In my experience, most adults with ADHD are not aware of the beliefs that dominate their lives or how their beliefs do or do not serve them well.

Most of the time, they are not paying attention to what they pay attention to in any given moment. One of the main coaching principles that have become a foundation in my life is: “What you pay attention to grows.” 

If you are not aware of what you pay attention to, on a daily basis, you will not be aware of what is growing or not growing in your life. It is very important to become aware of your most dominant daily patterns of thinking and identify the source of these thoughts. This invaluable, life changing skill of becoming your own witness is the long-term goal that coaches want for their clients. When you learn to become your own witness, you will have the ability to dramatically improve the quality of your life. You will be able to trace back many of the actions you do or don’t take. You will discover the power to choose what you will focus on in any given moment.

As the famous American writer, poet and philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson stated: “The ancestor to every action is a thought.” When you can trace an action back to its original thought, you will discover the source of that action. So, when you know something does not feel right in your body, pause and notice it, identify it and challenge it. Ask yourself: How is what I am paying attention to, right now, serving me?” If it is not serving you well, you always have the power to change it so that it does.