Hyperactive Goal Creation!
Now that you’ve had some time to mess around with and learn mind mapping, it’s time to set some goals! It’s great to get “(un) organized” and everything … but if you don’t know WHY you’re doing it, you won’t be able to consistently follow through. And that’s hard enough for us adders already.
Yeah, I know … it’s just me.
While there’s a lot of truth to the “law of attraction” theory, it’s not enough. You’ve got to do more than just think and dream about what you want. You have to DO it! Think and dream as you DO, and you’ll achieve it all! But how do I get myself to DO? Find your reason WHY.
Talking with other adders and reading their stories, I’ve found we tend to have a great desire to know WHY, not just how. I’ve read about this in regards to employment, school, church, and social events too. Our persistent asking of questions … trying to get to the deeper meaning, to understand the WHY … often gets us into trouble.
Well … I’m all about hyper-focusing on our strengths, not our weaknesses, so the following goal setting exercise is based on answering the question “WHY”.
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One Boy’s Struggle: A Review
Since my diagnosis a year ago, I’ve been doing as much as I can to learn more about attention deficit disorder, and I’ve found that the information available is generally lacking. There are so many brilliant professionals out there talking about adhd, but too often it’s obvious they don’t have it. The information can often be a little too clinical, not holding my attention. So … I look for a little more light-hearted reading.
There’s tons of light-hearted books available, but I tend to find them a bit trite, filled with the same old “10 Easy Steps” that would be written for a non-adder. Well … they may throw in a couple slight twists, like add color … wait, no … I learned that in sales training 20 years ago.
However, I HAVE found some absolutely terrific books that can help you both learn and function better with your adhd.
Today, I want to focus on one book in particular. Bryan Hutchinson’s “One Boy’s Struggle: A Memoir“. This book deserves a post of it’s own because it’s special. For the others, I’ll put together a list for recommendation.
“One Boy’s Struggle” should be at the TOP of your list if you’re learning about adhd. If you’re an adult who has lived most your life with undiagnosed adhd, this book should be your #1 choice! Bryan’s story will hit home with you in ways no other book can.
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Genius Distracted!
Since your diagnosis, you’ve probably been thinking about your past. You’re also starting to see it in
a different light as well. I know I am, and it’s a brighter, more positive light. I hope yours is too!
For whatever reason, school and homework have been on my mind. I hated homework! I totally understood the reasons for doing homework, but I couldn’t grasp why they piled it on so high. I mean … repetition can certainly create success, but too much can also drive a person CRAZY! Especially a kid with adhd.
Homework took FOREVER! It bored me beyond belief. I’d spend hours and hours and still wouldn’t have my homework completed on time (if at all). Doing their best, my parents would have me sit in a quiet room, all by myself, often for set periods of time. You know … focus, concentrate … APPLY YOURSELF!
I also remember times that were quite the opposite. I’d go to my room, close the door, put all my books and homework on the floor … then lay down on my stomach to work on it. I had a little black and white tv on the floor too, about 15 inches in front of my books with whatever cartoon or sitcom rerun available tuned in, and (of course) the radio or an album/tape playing in the background. Hey, since homework takes forever, I might as well enjoy myself!
I now realize that I pretty much do the same thing today - as an adult! In my current “profession,” I can work from home thanks to the amazing capabilities of technology. Whether I was researching companies, financial sectors, trends … re-allocating a portfolio or writing a loan, I always have the music on, and often the television too!
Right now, as I type this post, I’m listening to classical music digitally enhanced for better focus and concentration.
I know … you’re sitting there reading this with your adhd brain wishing I’d get to the point . Me too, so here it is - the point:
Distraction is your friend! Maybe for “the 95%” (definition here) all the extra “noise” makes them lose focus and thus render them unable to do whatever it is they’re doing. That’s ok, every individual needs to do whatever works best for them. You and I know, however, that adhd isn’t a deficit of attention. ADHD is an over-ABUNDANCE of attention!
My gut feel … is that the extra stimulation of the music and television grabs the part of your brain that seeks attention elsewhere, thereby allowing you to stay concentrated on the task you want to accomplish.
Does that make sense to you?
Try it out! Experiment! Maybe music and tv aren’t your thing, but I’m sure you have something to distract yourself with. Test my Theory of Distraction, and let me know how it goes! As I’ve said before, don’t worry about fixing your shortcomings, and don’t spend energy devising a way to conquer them. Nobody is perfect.
Embrace your shortcomings. Embrace your distractions. Love your weaknesses with all your heart and invite them to be a part of your life.
So go on now … get DISTRACTED!
The Myth of ADHD: Part Deux
I said in my previous post, that my next post would be about the things I agree with Joel Turtel on. This is that post.
The first thing I’d like to say about Joel is that I believe he genuinely cares about children. In my opinion, he’s doing his best to right some wrongs in the schools that are waged against kids. I agree that teachers and principals have no business even attempting to diagnose children as having adhd! They have neither the training nor the experience to tell parents and their children such things.
I also believe that certain teachers, parents, and other “authority” figures jump to conclusions too fast and literally talk the doctors into prescribing the meds. The world isn’t perfect (it’s not my place to condemn). A proper diagnosis and treatment should be focused on helping the child be who he or she is - to access their full potential - NOT about behaving in a certain pattern as defined by the “authorities”.
And Joel is right about the schools! In my school experience, it WAS like PRISON! I was a “C” student - I’d get bad grades on homework and good grades on tests. I discovered that if I knew the overall premise of what we were learning, I could do well on tests (without understanding the details) by deducing the answers, particularily on multiple choice exams.
I played trombone in band. In 10th grade, I never carried my trombone home even once to practice (I can be stubborn), yet held first chair in spite of having kids my senior with more experience as my competition (who DID practice). My band instructor hated me for my refusal to practice and made that VERY clear to me. I quit the band due to the petty (in my opinion) squabbles and my desire to take my talent in a different direction. (And as a kid with no friends, the social “stigma” was too much).
With no support from ANY of the “authorities” in my life, I soon quit music all together. (Note: I just started teaching myself how to play guitar - and it feels good!)
I could carry on with countless examples, but that isn’t the point of this post. I agree with Joel that the schools are made and designed for a particular type of student, and to turn that student into a particular type of adult. To me, the schools are more about TRAINING than they are about TEACHING. And in turn, shuts too many kids out.
I’m thankful people like Joel Turtel are out there! I thank God there are people like him who are willing to take a stand. In closing however, I’d just like to say, that I pray people like Joel will open their minds (even just a teeny, tiny bit) to the REALITY of adhd.
