amazing accomlishments being ADD | ADHD Information

Well... my dad who is now 55 or something (and I'm
sure he is ADHD) STILL says he doesn't know what
he wants to be... But, he has been self-employed for
about 10 years now, doing odd jobs, lawn care,
snow removal, etc. He's getting more into furniture
making, which he's really great at and also enjoys,
and he always has as many customers as he wants.
Before that he worked in the military for 25 years - left
the actual first day he could!
I know lots of self-employed folks who have
ADHD/ADD traits. I'm going that route too, since I
may as well... I throw myself right into whatever I'm
doing, and it may as well be fun and building
something good for me to do, with my own ethics
(recycled stuff, sliding scale, bartering - i.e. hippie
stuff, but it works well so far).

Cool ideas.

Funny, my husband says that he's positive that my Dad is ADHD, but it's harder for me to see it - he's had the same job for like 35 years.  I KNOW my brother is ADHD - one year he had 26 jobs!  He has never worked longer than 6 months at an single job.  AND he's had numerous car wrecks and speeding tickets.  But it's in major denial about having it.

He'll be wishing later that he'd listened to me. 

Autumnstar, thanks for the book reference. You are right about overload of negative stuff. I was brought to tears yesterday after reading about how ADDers have issues with social enviorments and the whole making and keeping friends things. I didn't start reading about ADD until a week ago, I just thought ok take a pill you will be alright. Then I started feeling like something is still missing. So I started reading and it explains so much more about why I don't like meeting new people.

My husband went to New Jersey twice to go to family wedding withen 3 month period, mother in law even paid for everything! But I refused to go! My husband is VERY outgoing and talks to people walking the other way on the street, blah! The thought of me in that room with a couple hundred people scared the crap out of me.. What the H*LL would I have to say to all those people, especially when they say what do you do? OH just run around in freaking circles all day and you?

 

I am 36 year old female. Diagnosed with ADD a year ago. I have been reading a lot lately about the "problem" and have become very discouraged about ADD. I would like to hear from some people that after finding out they had ADD then went on to using it to their advantage!

You hear that many successful people have ADD. What have some of you done now that made you successful knowing that you have ADD. Am I making any sense. 

Example:

Have you changed careers and are now extremely successful where you were failing miserably before.

I ask because I am 36 now and I keep saying... I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I have worked corporate jobs, hated it! I had my own business for 4 years but worked completely alone and I am bored of it. Please share your success. I really want to believe having an above average life is possible with ADD.

Thanks!

 

 

 

     I can fully relate to geniusinside because I've never been to a company/family day. It's not that I wouldn't like to , but I can't seem to match peoples faces with names. It would be very embarrasing (not to mention...( I had a  word..cruel?,,dismissive,..?crass,..( I need a thsarus)))to forget the name of someone I've worked with for five or more years during Introductions.

     I mean,,, what could I say if I couldn't call them by their name??? The whole world isn"t going to respond happily to "HEY YOU",and meeting other co-workers family members would ADD to the to the confusion I already have(pun intended, if iI couldn't laugh at myself, Id probably be a screaming,balling wreck trying to knock down the padding in my new home).

daniel

I think you could really benefit from reading Delivered from Distraction by Dr. Ed Hallowell.  He talks alot about finding your talents, the positives, etc of ADD.    It can definitely be depressing with all the books and sites talking about the negatives, problems, and 'ways to treat'. 

Personally I think it's all the Normal's propaganda to subvert us ADDers. 

Anyway, I've been looking back through my life and finding the 'nuggets' of creativity that I wouldn't have without ADD.  There are gifts with ADD - but with the world so Normal structured we're starting out with 2 strikes and 2 outs most of the time.

Autumnstar

LOL My husband also is a 'social butterfly'.  He loves big crowds.  I dread them.

It's funny, in some ways we're just alike - we like the same things but in other ways we're very different.  He can stay on track with things, so he helps me stay on track.  But he has a hard time starting things, where it's easy for me to get things set up.  So we're a good balance for each other in many ways.

I'm social enough that I can be comfortable in most situations I get in, but I will dread most of them or avoid them if given a choice.  But I also make a bunch of social faux pas - or so my husband says. 

It's helping for me to find websites where I send them to my husband to educate him on ADD.  B/c I know he's not going to take the time to sit down and read a whole book on it.

Funny we compliment each other as well. I have been trying to educate him more on ADD so he does understand why I do crazy things. One thing I found out about is ADDers could have problems being touched. For 7 years I would cringe when my husband would rub my legs in the car or want to hold my hand or would just flat out refuse when he wanted to stand behind me and put his arms around me. I had no idea this was and ADD thing. Amazing clarity after reading this in So I am not Lazy Crazy or Stupid.

Yes, the senses can go either way.  I drive my husband almost crazy in wanting to hold hands, or have some kind of contact with him.  He knows I'm mad at him if I don't want him to touch me.  So I'm just the extreme opposite of you. 

I drove one boyfriend crazy because I'm always touching things to see what they feel like.  If I go into a store, I'm touching everything.   I love really soft things, stuffed animals, clothing, yarn for afghans, etc.