ADHD Winner or Loser?
Do you identify yourself with what you DO, or who you ARE? It’s up to you to decide.
Kirsten was a woman in her mid 40’s with ADD / ADHD. She had changed careers three times, and has held many jobs. She graduated college with a BA in Journalism, then went back to school to get an MBA. She had several jobs in business with large corporations, wore multiple hats in a number of start-ups, and had a couple of stints in sales. Over the last few years, she had been struggling to build her own business as a recruiter.
Her friends in Journalism thought she “sold out” when she quit to get an MBA.
Her parents were critical every times she changed jobs, saying she couldn’t stick to anything.
Many of her business school classmates held VP titles and made much more money.
Kirsten was embarrassed to talk about her checkered career. She attended her 20-year business school reunion with trepidation, sure that she’d look like a real loser compared to her classmates. She felt it was obvious that her ADHD kept her from staying in any one job or profession long enough to succeed.
At the reunion, Kirsten found herself in conversation with a couple of classmates she had hung out with in school, but had not seen in years. Rob was the Chief Financial Officer at a bank. Sandy was VP of marketing at a mid-sized food company.
“You were always the brave one,” Sandy said. “You were never afraid to change jobs or try something new. I remember when you were in on the ground floor of that dot.com. That must have been a wild experience. I bet you have some good stories to tell.”
“I’ve always wondered if I had what it takes to start a business on my own,” said Rob. “I’ve held traditional banking jobs my whole life. You’ve had experience in so many industries. That must give you a lot of insight as a recruiter.”
Kirsten felt like she had just put on a new pair of glasses with sparkling clear lenses. She suddenly saw herself differently.
As she sat with a group at the reunion dinner, she found herself volunteering stories of her crazy year of being the only “grown up” among the 22-year-olds running the dot.com. Instead of worrying about how lame she looked compared to the successful people around her, she reveled in how interesting they seemed to find her. She realized that her life experiences were much more varied and unpredictable – and that it wasn’t a bad thing at all.
The next week Kirsten rewrote all the marketing materials for her recruiting business, playing up the “different” point of view that honed her insight. She felt a renewed sense of confidence.
Kirsten was the same person as she had been before the reunion. She had the same ADHD. But she changed how she felt about it. She decided to feature her life story instead of apologizing for it. She gave herself permission to be a winner.
Give yourself permission to transform
Next week, you can attend a virtual master class with the ultimate teacher of ADHD empowerment, David Giwerc, founder of the internationally acclaimed ADD Coach Academy. In his class, he’ll help you transform the way you look at yourself, and inspire you to give yourself permission to create your most fulfilling life.
I was lucky enough to train under David for 11 months in my journey of becoming an ADHD Coach. He passionately believed and taught that we are all human BEINGS, not human DOINGS. Now he and I will both be presenting master classes at the Virtual ADHD Conference.
The Virtual ADHD Conference starts Monday, Oct 7
Save $50 before Monday!
Monday, Oct 7 – Thursday, Oct 10
Take “Master Classes” with the top speakers and trainers on Adult ADD / ADHD
LIVE! 8 Master Classes over four days without leaving home
It’s all recorded, so you can listen afterwards at your convenience
Save $50 before the first event on Monday, Oct. 7. Click here for details.
Have you ever had an experience where you suddenly saw everything in a different light? Please COMMENT and SHARE!
