Accentuating
the Positive
By
Terry Orr
(ADD/ADHD-er)
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Multi-tasking at its
best, once you learn how to
harness the power of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)/ Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) – I have rarely considered this a negative in my
life (I see the glass half full). In fact, just the opposite – because most
folks simply are unable to do what ADD/ADHD folks can do. So let’s take closer
look into these special abilities.
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Last September we covered ADHD from a clinical and
non-clinical perspective:
- Symptoms;
- Signs and Test;
- Treatment;
- Medications;
- Behavior Therapy; and
- Some well-known people who are ADD/ADHD.
10 Most Positive Things about ADHD (by Bryan L. Hutchinson). In my research for this
article I was thrilled to find Bryan's Web/Blog site (www.adderworld.com) “Positive Thinking of ADHD” chucked
full of good information on ADD/ADHD.
A summary of these ten are provided below, you can download the complete package at Bryan's site:
- Passion: Passion is
energy, it is enthusiasm and it is intuitiveness. Passion is life, it is ever constant.
- Creativity: Creativity is
found in all people, not just those of us with ADHD; however, it does seem that
people with ADHD have a way of thinking which makes what we create stand out as
unique and distinctive.
- Dynamic: I believe people
with ADHD are dynamic by nature. Dynamic people vibrate with energy and exude a
kind of poise, which is too often misinterpreted.
- Resilient: We have had to be
in order to keep on, keeping on!
- Playful: One of our most
charming qualities is our playfulness.
- Entertaining: I personally
believe that most all entertainers are ADDers! We are natural born
entertainers. It’s not an art form for
us, it’s a way of life.
- Overachiever: One of our most
underrated, least talked about traits is our desire to achieve, to do well and
live a successful life. Too many think
we live by an excuse for our behavior and are unwilling to strive. The fact is:
we are constantly striving!
- Imagination: If there is one
thing I love about my ADHD mind above all others, it is my vivid imagination.
When I dream it is like watching a movie in my head, with the intricate sounds,
vibrant colors and ever so subtle movements.
- Hyper-Focus: I like to think
of my hyper focus as my personal super power, which gives me tremendous
advantages when I have it under my
control.
- Positivity: Is a
trait of ADHD? Perhaps not officially. It is for me, finally! {This
has been for me as long as I can remember}
Bryan also has published three books (which I purchased over the weekend and
downloaded on my iPad):
- One Boy's Struggle: A
Memoir: Surviving Life with Undiagnosed ADD;
- The Brilliant Reality
of ADHD; and
- Adult ADHD Can Be
Sexy!
And has a fourth book in the works, “10 Things I Hate about ADHD”.
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In our recent post Positive
Thinking (link) is an update to last year’s very successful article (link)
on that same topic we shared information on the importance of being positive in
every part of your life. These are a
nice Segway into -
The Positive
Characteristics of ADD / ADHD
People with ADD / ADHD also have many positive traits
that are directly tied to their active, impulsive minds:
- Creativity – People with ADD excel at thinking outside of the box,
brainstorming, and finding creative solutions to problems. Because of their flexible
way of thinking about things, they tend to be more open-minded, independent,
and ready to improvise.
- Enthusiasm and
spontaneity – People with ADD are free
spirits with lively minds—qualities that makes for good company and engrossing
conversation. Their enthusiasm and spontaneous approach to life can be
infectious.
- A quick mind - People with ADD have the ability to think on their
feet, quickly absorb new information (as long as it’s interesting), and
multitask with ease. Their rapid-fire minds thrive on stimulation. They adapt
well to change and are great in a crisis.
- High energy level – People with ADD have loads of energy. When their
attention is captured by something that interests them, they can have virtually
unlimited stamina and drive.
Famous People with
ADHD
Bill Cosby
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Jim Carey
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Whoopi Goldberg
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Will Smith
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Paris Hilton
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Vincent Van Gogh
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Orville & Wilber Wright
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Benjamin Franklin
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Thomas Edison
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Abraham Lincoln
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John F. Kennedy (father and son both)
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Walt Disney
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Samuel Clemens
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Emily Dickenson
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Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Positive
Characteristics of People with Attention Deficit Disorder:
Ability to find alternate paths to overcome obstacles; Able
to take on large situations; Adaptive/collaborative;
Adventurous, courageous, lives outside of boundaries; Always finding alternate
routes to any given location; Always
willing to help others; Ambitious – you want to be everything when “you
grow up”; Artistic; Attractive personality – magnetic due to high energy; Being
able to see the big picture; Being
able to see the patterns in the chaos; Being intuitive towards others’
difficulties; Broad focus – can see more, notice things more; Can create order from chaos; Can do many
projects at once; Can make people feel they are heard; Can see the big picture;
Can talk about several things at one time; Can think on my feet; Career variety; Centre of attention; Comfortable
talking in front of groups; Comfortable with change and chaos; Compassion for
others and for themselves; Conceptualizes
well; Confidence; Constantly evolving; Courageous; Creates connections
easily; Creative; Creative writing; Creative
– musical, artistic, “dramatic”; Down to
Earth; Good in a crisis; Good at customer relations; Dedicated; Detail-oriented;
Determined to gain more control; Eager to make friends; Eager to try new things;
Empathetic, sensitive; Energetic; Entrepreneurial;
Excellent organizers using journals and reminders (notes etc.); Flexible – changes as the situation requires;
Fun guy to be around; Goal-oriented; Good at conceptualizing; Good at motivating self and others; Good
at multitasking; Good at problem solving; Good at public speaking; Good at understanding others/mind reading –
empathetic; Good conversationalist; Good delegator and good at organizing
others; Good in emergency situations; Good listener; Good looking and aware of
it; Good people skills; Good self-esteem, energetic; Great brain-stormer; Great multi-tasker; Great self-company; Great
sense of humor; Great storyteller; Great with kids (central figure around kids);
Hands-on workers; Hard worker; Has
friendly relations with their family; Has the gift of gab; Helpful; Helps
others who are also in trouble; High energy – go, go, go; Humor, very healthy,
quick picking up ideas; Hyper focus !!; Hypersensitive – very empathetic and
good at non-verbal communications; Idea generator; Imaginative; Impulsive (in a
good way) not afraid to act; Initiators; Intelligent; Intuitive; It’s ok to not
finish everything; Learning as much as I can to help children and others with ADHD;
Less sleep is good (midnight to 6 am); Like to talk a lot; Likes learning new
things; Look at multidimensional sides to a situation; Lots of interests; Loves
to cook and be creative; Magnetic; Master idea generator; Mentoring others/helpful; Mentoring people with low self-esteem; Modesty;
Move on fast – never hold a grudge; Multitasks well; Never bored and rarely
boring; Never intimidated to try new things; Non-linear, multi-dimensional/edge
of chaos; Not afraid to speak mind; Not contained by boundaries; On stage and
ready; Optimistic; Outgoing; Passionate; Persistent; Philosophical; Holistic thinking; Playful; Pragmatic; Problem solver; Profound; Quick
thinking; Quick witted; Relates
to people easily; Resistant; Resourceful;
Saves money in the short term by forgetting to file tax returns; See and
remember details – recount them later; Sees the big picture; Socially adaptive
and flexible; Spontaneous; Stabilizer
during difficult situations; Stable; Successful;
Takes initiative; Tenacious; Theoretical;
Think outside the box; Thinks two
meters ahead of the world; Thinks big, dreams big; Thorough; Tolerant; Trusting, Unconventional; Unlimited
energy; Unorthodox; Versatile; Very creative, able to generate a lot of ideas; Very
hard working to compensate – workaholic;
Very intuitive; Very resourceful; Very successful; Visionary;
Visual learner; Willing to explore; Willing to take risks; Willingness to help others; Witty; Won’t tolerate boredom; Works well under pressure; and Worldly.
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Whew! That’s quite a list of Positive
Characteristics and surprisingly is spot on for me in all but four. How many of them accurately depict your characteristics?
References and Links:
