So What If It Is ADD?
Well, I say great! Now you know what to blame for all of
those times: you were late, lost an assignment, spent days pondering and
pondering the simplest task, stopped a project in midstream, lost track of
something you were working on, blurted out an embarrassing comment, got
distracted or just plain forgot, created a problem by jumping into something
without thinking. You get the idea.
Fortunately
there are gifts to balance the yin with the yan. You know; the creative energy,
the often highly intuitive nature, the sensitive perception to those around you,
the quest for something new and exciting, the humor and intelligence, unique
perceptions and the gift of gab. There are numerous examples of very successful
people who report having ADD and nevertheless thrive in the entertainment/arts,
business, science and political arenas. There are a plethora of famous names
that are attributed with ADD. Some of the people who are reported to have or
have had ADD are: Bill Gates, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison,
Benjamin Franklin, Pablo Picasso, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Werner Von
Braun, Ernest Hemingway, Henry Ford, John F. Kennedy, Robin Williams, John D.
Rockefeller, Justin Timberlake, Whoopi Goldberg, Walt Disney, Will Smith,
Steven Spielberg, Bill Cosby, Frank Lloyd Wright, Joan Rivers, Virginia Wolf, Jim
Carrey, General George Patton.
Whew,
quite an impressive list. While the traits of ADD undoubtedly presented difficulties
for these folks and probably impeded their progress at various times, the
presence of these traits certainly did not limit their ability to achieve
success and to live rewarding lives. Having ADD is not an automatic
prescription for failure, but it does require a mindful focus on the choices
that are made and a concerted effort to develop more productive behavior
patterns.
There
are always choices to be made. For
example, you can choose to focus on the deficits that impede your progress and
may even create chaos in your life. You can also choose to maintain behaviors
that continue to sabotage your momentum, thus allowing these dark forces to
control your thoughts and actions. Or,
you can choose to embrace the gifts you possess and create the changes that
lead to opportunities to succeed and thrive.
I
do not suggest that simply being mindful will correct all disruptive patterns
of thought and behavior. It is however, a critical piece of the change puzzle. Making
choices can be difficult and complicated, but when you are mindful, you
increase your awareness of the factors that impact your life and your outcomes.
Choose Wisely and Embrace Your Gifts
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