Don’t Get Stuck in the Muck: Let Your ADHD Shine Today

We get so caught up in the minutiae of setting timers, taking medication, and labeling things in a desperate attempt to get organized that we lose sight of what's important in our lives. We overlook the urgency of living life to the hilt in favor of hyperfocusing on pleasing a world that judges and criticizes us. We twist ourselves into curly pretzels instead of stretching our ADHD wings.

This surprises me, because we are usually Big Picture folks. We have an uncanny ability to see a problem from many angles. It’s because we see things differently that we think outside the box and produce innovative, efficient solutions. Words of praise for our creativity are well deserved.

We certainly love to think broad and wide. We are easily attracted to wind surfing, glass blowing, doing still photography, even bull riding. But our underlying penchant for disorganization or boredom usually dampens our interest. Soon, we abandon the studio and the waves and turn back to our timers, labels, and medication, trying to get our ADHD under control.

I understand that those fascinations engage us. But, like our focus on ADHD strategies, those diversions pull us away from our life purpose. Every ADHD adult and child has a burning desire to live up to his or her potential. Each of us has precious gifts to share with the world. They deserve to be given full expression.

I invite you to put down the labeler, give up the momentary fascinations with your latest fascination and focus on your Big Picture. That's the place where you dance with abandon, where you change the world without worrying about whether you'll be on time or how deep your piles get.

Set aside the difficult task of dealing with our ADHD foibles and focus on your strengths, talents, and deepest desires. Pay more attention to your Big Dreams and breathe the air of conviction and determination. It may take our ADHD selves a little longer to put feet under our Big Dreams, but it is worth the wait. The world needs us. The world needs you.