Redefining ADHD - Overlooked Advantages, Painting a New Picture
Many people succeed in life because of their unique ADHD brain, despite what others may think, ADHD can have many advantages. Here are some examples
I’ve been thinking and writing around the topic of ADHD for quite a few years now. Having someone of my family with severe symptomology of ADHD and struggles throughout their life has led me to care about this topic deeply. Today’s story provides us with an out-of-the-box perspective around what has become a universally accepted problematic diagnosis of ADHD in Western society.
You can check out some of my previous posts on this topic linked at the end of today’s story.
Ready to reimagine? Let’s dive in!
Dale Archer is one of the many notable authors in this space of ADHD and redefining normal In 2013 he published a book called Better than Normal, in which he illustrates the commonly overlooked traits of someone with ADHD and how profoundly helpful they can be in different positions of society.
Dr. Archer has also written a title called, The ADHD Advantage published in 2016 that expresses a similar narrative that inspires and encourages those with ADHD to think about their diagnosis with the opportunity to embrace their strengths without getting too caught up in the chaos and confusion that surrounds the diagnosis and symptoms of ADHD overall.
As I’ve shared before, ADHD can be understood as a difference in cognition, not necessarily a disorder. There are dozens of different levels of cognition, life experience and neurodivergent thinking that each possess their own unique set of pros and cons. We need not overwhelm ourselves with boundless forms of medications without first understanding the root of the issue and the opportunities to reposition those with ADHD to be abled leaders to thrive in their own right and honest advantages.
As the Amazon book synopsis describes briefly, “People with ADHD are restless, endlessly curious, often adventurous, willing to take smart risks, and unusually resilient, and their ranks include some of the greatest entrepreneurs of our time.” This is certainly true. The list of leaders, extraordinary (extra-ordinary) thinkers, doers, inventors, and entrepreneurs is long and impressive in each of their accomplishments, not despite their diagnosis but because of their diagnosis.
Just a Few Famous People From the Past Who Had ADHD
Alexander Graham Bell — inventor.
Agatha Christie — mystery writer.
Leonardo da Vinci — painter, scientist.
Thomas Edison — inventor.
Albert Einstein — physicist.
John F. Kennedy — U.S. president.
John Lennon — singer, songwriter, peace activist.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — composer.
For example, extreme moodiness can be used towards extreme creative expression in art, music, poetry, or design. Imaginative, magical thinking could be purposed towards enabling intuition to lead the way and let individuals tap into their perceptive gut instincts. Each of our individual weaknesses in life comes with the flip side potentiality for a gifted purpose for good – and this goes for everyone, beyond the conversation of ADHD alone.
Brokenness and trauma in early life can lead someone down the route of being a wounded healer to help others later in life with a divine calling behind their particular vocation. The greatest determining factor is the story we tell ourselves about the traits we possess.
Each of our traits comes with an emotional perception on what we think, feel, and understand about that trait within our human self. If we’ve been told something is problematic, and not an untapped superpower to be used elsewhere, we will be cast into the dark void of victimhood and see ourselves as a problem to our society, our family and friends, our teachers and roller coaster relationships.
One of the greatest lessons to learn from today’s story is that the power of the story we tell ourselves – or that narrative in which we allow ourselves to believe from others – is likely to be the most profound predictor for our potential achievement and purposeful pursuits in life.
As another example, Dr. Archer suggests that those who score highly on the histrionic/dramatic continuum do well as entertainers and performers, but when they bring that dramatic flair into their personal life, they run the risk of being labeled a drama queen/king. It just depends on the setting in which those traits can be used for good or underutilized and seen as obstacles in the way of the norms of others.
Characteristics of scoring highly on the ADHD/adventurous scale include excelling during chaos, being bored with routine, excellent multi-tasking and thinking in terms of the big picture without getting bogged down with details. The OCD/perfectionist trait demands order and structure, is very well organized, focuses on the details and seeks perfection.
Advantages of scoring highly on the shy/social anxiety continuum include: working well without supervision, enjoy working alone, being a confidant for others, excellent listening skills and being an independent thinker.
This is one of the most critical messages that young people deserve to understand today, in an increasingly oppressing world riddled with comparison and judgement, there are boundless advantages to each individual’s unique neurodivergence. The story we tell ourselves matters most. The legible pages handed to us by the beautiful leaders around us that believe in our abilities is also profoundly impactful as these giants can play such an vital role on the impressionable youth and adolescence hungry for service, purpose, and self-worth.
You have great worth in all of who you are. It just depends on where you place yourself and how those innate traits what make you, YOU can come to light and serve in that given position, role, opportunity, or environment in which you are placed.
Prescribing Exercise for ADHD, Depression, and Anxiety - “Exercise performs just as well as the leading medications.”
How to Eat for ADHD — 5 Tips from a Holistic Health Dietitian - “What everyone should know, food plays a HUGE role in the ADHD brain”
My Beef with Kids Mental Health and ADD/ADHD - “There seems to be an eerily strange and ever-growing presence of childhood troubles. Why?”