It's
Where You Finish
When I
began writing this blog, I had hoped it would be a place to share helpful tips
for those living with ADHD. Quite frankly, the writing was tedious and somewhat
boring. So….I am taking a new direction. Not only do I coach people with ADHD,
I too, struggle with the disorder, and have done so for my entire life. I have
decided that sharing my experiences with ADHD, and how I have overcome some of
those challenges, would not only be helpful, but far more entertaining. J
I was
diagnosed, when, my then 7-year-old daughter was diagnosed. Her pediatric
neurologist looked at me and said, “You know where she got it from, right?” I was stunned. He
then said, “I bet you consume extremely large amounts of caffeine.” I did, and
still do. He told me I had been self-medicating for most of life. I had always wondered why caffeine
never kept me awake or gave me jitters. At that moment, I knew. And I suddenly thought…OY!
I learned a
lot from my daughter’s diagnosis. I have always sought out answers to the
unknown…still do. So true to form I read everything I could get my hands on.
The more I read, the more I saw myself. ADHD wasn't a known entity when I was a
child. The only people who were identified were overactive boys, and even then,
they were labeled “hyperactive” with no reference to attention deficit. I was
misunderstood, called lazy and impulsive, and was definitely not the favorite
child that my diligent organized sister was. Oh, I had the best of
intentions…just not the tools to bring them to fruition.
In the
years following that afternoon in the Dr’s office, I have looked back at how I have
handled some of the challenges associated with ADHD. I realized that although I
may be deficient in some areas of life, i.e., organization, focus, completion
of tasks, etc, I definitely excel at others. I am highly intelligent, have a huge
heart, and have a wicked sense of humor. My memory is insane…which is both a
blessing and a curse. I can be very logical, but can also see things in a way
that others do not. To put a positive spin on it…I think outside the box.
So,
although I spent much of my life being told I was screwing up, I now know that it just ain’t so. I have had to
deal with challenges that most of my family, friends and colleagues never encountered. My sister
will never understand why I can’t clean a room without being completely
overwhelmed…much the same way I will never understand how she can attack any
project and get it done in a few hours. Her brain just doesn't work the way
mine does…and never will. That doesn't make me a bad person…just a different
person.
That being
said, I have always gotten by. My intellect compensated for my lack of focus in
school and at work. My ability to switch into high gear at the last minute
compensated for my tendency to procrastinate. And my sense of humor and big
heart compensated for everything else.
As an ADHD
coach, I have learned how to devise strategies to help me survive in this crazy
fast-paced world. Although I am happy to
share some of those strategies, be advised that they may not work for you because there is not
a one-size-fits-all solution for the challenges associated with ADHD. This is
the reason why all of those self-help books usually do more dust gathering than
helping.
So in the blogs to follow, I will talk about how I was/am able to muddle through…emphasis on the word muddle. I have come a long way, and have devised some creative solutions to compensate for the challenges I have encountered on my journey through life. As Dorothy Fields wrote for the musical SEESAW… "It's Not Where You Start, It's Where You Finish"…and I intend to finish at the top!
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