College Confidence with ADD: The Ultimate Success Manual for ADD Students, from Applying to Academics, Preparation to Social Success and Everything Else You Need to Know

College Confidence with ADD

College Confidence with ADD

The Ultimate Success Manual for ADD Students, from Applying to Academics, Preparation to Social Success, and Everything Else You Need to Know

MICHAEL SANDLER

Copyright © 2008 by Michael Sandler Cover and internal design ©2008 by Sourcebooks, Inc.

Cover photo © Veer

Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.

This book is not intended as a substitute for medical advice from a qualified physician. The intent of this book is to provide accurate general information in regard to the subject matter covered. If medical advice or other expert help is needed, the services of an appropriate medical professional should be sought.

All brand names and product names used in this book are trademarks, registered trademarks, or trade names of their respective holders. Sourcebooks, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor in this book.

The people pictured in the cover photo are models and the image is being used for illustrative purposes.

Published by Sourcebooks, Inc.

P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410 (630) 961-3900 Fax: (630) 961-2168 www.sourcebooks.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Sandler, Michael.

Conquering college with ADD / by Michael Sandler.

p. cm. ISBN-13: 978-1-4022-1924-5 1. Attention-deficit disorder in adolescence. 2. Attention-deficit-disordered youth—Education (Higher) I. Title.

RJ506.H9S266 2007 618.92'8589—dc22

2007014397

Printed and bound in Canada.

TR 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Dedication

There’s a Japanese expression that says success takes more than talent, it also takes important encounters with people.

I know without such people in my life, I’d never have made it this far. No man is an island, especially me, and this project wouldn’t have existed without so many people’s incredible help and support. To each and every one of you, thank you. I dedicate this book to you.

In particular, I wish to dedicate this book to a few special people and their families and loved ones who’ve helped make this dream a reality.

Without Shinko Sakai and her entire family’s support, love, encouragement and guidance, I’d have fallen just short of the goal. You’ve kept me going, and cheered me on.

The courage and lessons I learned from my Japanese running friends, who’ve given their all for country, company, family, and friends, have taught me that everything, no matter how difficult, happens for a reason, and to have patience, let go of the outcome, and accept life’s twists, turns, and challenges for what they are: beautiful gifts.

To my sister, Elisa Share, whose voice has been my rope of hope and wisdom in trying times.

To Craig Harrison, without whose help I would never have made it cycling across the country.

To Nicki Cutean and the entire clan, without whose support and persistence I may have given up my creative endeavors or missed the mark in teaching this to others.

To Beverly Rohman (www.learningconnections.net), who helped start me down this helping path and who’s stuck by me through many trying times. And Not-So-Crazy Bob, who doesn’t think he has his act together, but teaches me so much, each and every day.

To Jack Burden, a friend, mentor, and guide; far wiser than an owl at the ever-younger age of eighty-six.

To Tom Masterson, who quietly lives by example, marathon-running mountains around the world, dancing to nature’s tune with a constant smile, in his ever-younger seventies.

To Jonathan and Renee Knop (both of you, keep on healing!) for your courage, inspiration, guidance, and audiobook magic (see www.thecreativehealinginstitute.com)!

To my parents, without whose love, wisdom, insight, and unwavering support, I’d never have been diagnosed, gotten the help I needed, gone to college, or had this book published.

And to the memory of Kerri Korenko, whose trials and experiences taught me so much of what I now teach to others. You will be missed, but never forgotten, and your lessons will carry on.

And last, to my two guardian angels, confidants, and incredible four-legged companions Pumpkin and Sawa. You are my teachers, my guides, my support, and so much more. Without your unconditional love and unwavering joy for life, I probably wouldn’t even be here, let alone writing this book.

To everyone, to the universe, to love, life, and nature itself, thank you and arigatou!

Contents

Acknowledgments

Chapter One

Introduction

Chapter Two

Succeeding with ADD

Chapter Three

Understanding ADD

Chapter Four

Taking Advantage of Technology

Chapter Five

Choosing the College That’s Right for You

Chapter Six

Applying to Schools

Chapter Seven

Planning before You Arrive

Chapter Eight

Know Your Student Rights.

Chapter Nine

Taking Care of Yourself

Chapter Ten

Juggling Your Finances

Chapter Eleven

Organizing Your Life

Chapter Twelve

Academic Success

Chapter Thirteen

Life Outside of Class

Chapter Fourteen

Getting Help

Chapter Fifteen

Life after Graduation

Chapter Sixteen

ADD and Your Career

Conclusion: Be a Student of Your Life

Index

Acknowledgments

Rereading this book just weeks before it prints, I must admit I’m dumbfounded. I keep asking myself, Who wrote this book? Or, How did ‘I’ write such a thing? I put I in quotation marks because I’m not the person I was when I started this book five and a half years ago. I mean, I’m still me, but I’m not.

You see, the Michael Sandler who started this book died a year and a half ago. He hit the pavement while trying to avoid a toddler and his father when they inadvertently stepped out onto the bike path in front of him. I had an instant to decide to throw myself down rather than hit the little boy. In that moment, who I was ceased to be.

I am very thankful for that accident, and for all of the struggles and challenges to follow. And I’m incredibly thankful that the new me, the one who woke up to find someone else’s blood being pumped into his veins, had the opportunity to rewrite much of this book.

You see, the book was originally a how-to guide for being the best square peg in a round hole. But when I came to, I realized that wouldn’t do. I could no longer help students just fit in or get by. Life’s too precious, too short, and we have far too much to offer. While good grades are great, I want to help students discover their inner talents, joy, and passion, so they may love, laugh, and achieve their dreams while living life to the fullest. I wanted to help them build castles in the sky.

I was fortunate enough to be given a second chance, both at life and with this book. Over the year and a half that followed, with the incredible patience and diligence of the great folks at Sourcebooks—and in particular Peter Lynch and Erin Nevius—I edited and rewrote the majority of this book. Even the title changed.

What you see is as much a part of their hearts and souls as it is mine.

And while I typed the words, I now know they came from someplace special. Whether you call it God, Nature, Source, the Universe, Spaciousness, or simply a quiet mind, I know that while the words flowed through me, they didn’t come from me. This energy is where I give my true thanks, for this book, this world, and each moment of my existence.

I am thankful for everything, even, or especially, the frustration and delays experienced in finishing this book. While I was lying on the pavement, wiggling my fingers and toes, looking up at the uninjured boy and then at the sun, I began to smile. In that moment I knew everything in life happens for a reason. Without the delays, the new me could never have rewritten this book or had insight into the right layout and design.

For years I’ve talked about discovering creativity and inner passion. But not until I was crutching out into nature to heal and photographing the incredible beauty around me (see www.natureshealingspirit.com) did I truly begin to practice what I preach. Nor did I understand how we must each dance our own dance. Told I may never walk or run again, I stripped off my shoes and went barefoot to heal. Now I’m inexplicably running barefoot ten to twenty miles a day, always in awe and communing with nature; pen and camera at the ready. And I certainly hadn’t discovered my quiet mind until I slowed down to see nature’s beauty rewiring my brain, and began meditating my way back to total health.

Truly, everything in life happens for a reason.

With ADD it’s so easy to lose one’s self-confidence, esteem, and direction, and just give up. Now I know why there aren’t more ADD books out there, despite the number of incredibly creative and talented individuals who could be writing them. It’s a nightmare to organize, follow through, and hang in there. I want to thank so many wonderful souls who’ve helped me hang in there these five and a half years.

I especially want to thank those who stayed by my side after the accident. I cannot thank you enough for your warmth, kindness, energy, and guidance during these creative yet challenging times. And to those in the medical field who put me together again, I hope to pass along your courage and positive energy by doing my best to help others. I can’t think of a better way to say thanks than by giving it all away.

Specific thanks to:

Dr. Ted Weston, Jr.; Ashley Klein; the entire Pauline Jensen SET clan (Sine, Liz, and Tasha); Dr. Wertz; Laurie Gille; Roger Boyd; Jodi; and everyone at Boulder Creek Apartments—you guys are the greatest! To Pablo Luna—thanks for keeping me rolling!

To Adolf and the entire Zoch family, Jennifer Zung, Rachael Osofsky, Naren Tayal (find your passion!), Linda Norman, Kenneth Mills, Xiang Zhou, Diane Saye (your son Oran lives on through your work), Donna Weaver, Trish Budd, and everyone with the IDL (www.gifteddifferentlearners.org) and the Howard County Maryland School System.

To everyone at ADDA (www.ADD.org), and especially Susan Caughman, Eve Gillman, and Rochelle Green; and everyone at ADDitude magazine.

To Rosemary and everyone at the Resources for Disabled Students Office at CSU; to Nick Skally and Rollerblade; and to Kris Brandriff at Smartwheels (www.smartwheelsinline.com). To Vladimir Ostromensky, Peter Doucet, Raina Denmark, Jody Goodwine, and everyone at the ADD support group in Greeley, Colorado (thanks for the inspiration!).

To Rabbi Zvi and everyone at Har Shalom. To Pam and Elijah Castillon (hang in there!) and everyone at Timberline. To Mike Reynolds (you can do it!).

To Professor John Hoxmeier, Professor Ann Gilley, Dr. Sanjay Ramchander, Dr. Cap Smith, Dr. Susan Athey, Dr. Daniel Turk, Dr. Charles Butler, Dr. John Plotnicki, Associate Professor Naomi Lederer, Dr. Alex Zedginidze, and Dr. Yung-Hai Chen.

To Devon Schiller, Aliya Sternstein, Yuka Sugiura, Andrew Lyman, Venkat Raj, and Renee Galvin. To Yoko, Lina, and Ken Takahashi for Nihongo assistance and support.

To Regina Cruz (never stop dancing!), Jessica McStravick (keep believing in yourself!), Joe, Rod, Pai-Lee, and everyone at the Boulder Rec. Centers.

Thanks to Dojna Shearer for her polishing at copyedit, Scott Miller for his beautiful design, and Christiaan Simmons for his hard work promoting the book.

And to anyone and everyone else I’ve missed but who’s been in my life. You have been my teachers, my mentors, and my friends. I cannot thank you enough.

Honto-Ni Arigatou. Thank you.

With love and blessings always and forever more, Michael

1

Introduction

"Knowledge of any kind…brings about a change in awareness from where it is possible to create new realities."

—Deepak Chopra

Congratulations on embarking down the road to college success. Whether you’re already in school or just planning ahead, this can be one of the most exciting times of your life. Of course, it can also be a daunting challenge, which is why I developed this book.

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is not well understood by the general population—it’s not visible. It’s a hidden challenge, which in some ways makes it more difficult to cope with in society than a visible one.

If someone’s missing a leg, we immediately understand the problem and offer assistance and accommodations. If someone’s missing the ability to focus, manage time, organize complex tasks, control impulsivity, or fit into a standardized learning program, we tend to tell him to shape up or ship out. Hype, popular culture, the media, and drug companies have all been accused of exaggerating both the severity of ADD and the number of people who suffer from it, but what we don’t do is help people with this challenge.

Did you know that studies show an estimated 10 percent of all Americans have ADD? If you’re in a classroom, that means two to three of your classmates are likely to have ADD as well. If you’re a child with ADD, you have only a 5 percent chance of graduating from college (that is, if you don’t have the tools you’ll find in this book).

Sadly, ADD sufferers who become successful are rare birds. But like the founder of Kinko’s or the CEO of Jet Blue, we credit our success to our ADD creativity and inability to follow the crowd. The same challenges that hinder us, when overcome, can be the very things that carry us to greatness. While they’ll always be challenges, we can learn to make them work for us, not against us.

As someone with ADD, you have tremendous gifts and talents just waiting to be discovered. The trick is, we think differently than other people do…and that’s a good thing. Would you want to trade in your sense of humor, creativity, or way of thinking just to be like everyone else? Who wants to be conventional?

Your gifts can be a huge benefit once you understand how to work with your ADD mind. Consider this book a how-to guide to using your ADD brilliance, or the owner’s manual for your ADD mind. Throughout this book you’ll find tips, strategies, secrets, and warnings that can help you overcome your challenges and bring out the talents we all have waiting inside of us. You’ll begin to understand why you’ve had challenges; how, when, and where you work best (and why); and how to use your mind to potentially achieve at a level far beyond many non-ADDers.

Understanding ADD and its challenges is half the battle; once you master the second half, using your ADD to your advantage, success beyond your wildest dreams will come within your reach.

One of my biggest challenges as an author with ADD was determining what to include in this book and where. Of course, my first inclination was to include everything under the sun. And of course, I wanted it all up front, because it’s all important! Organization was never my strong suit, nor was prioritization. The final solution was a compromise…include as much as possible, and organize what I can chronologically.

I’ve often said that now is the best time in history to have ADD. Sure, there are challenges with the press— the perpetuation of ADD myths and stereotypes and the medication issues and debates— there really has never been a better time to have ADD. Why? One word: technology.

Technology means we can finally harness the energy and speed of our ADD minds that have kept us stuck in the slow lanes even though we want to go fast. Think of us as astronauts without a spaceship. We look slow on the ground in our cumbersome space suits, but given the means to fly, the tools to use our supersonic brains, we can blast off.

Technology can help us free our minds to overcome challenges and utilize our full potential. Because of this, I’ve included Tech Tips throughout the book. If you read nothing else, check out these tips. They provide proven techniques to help you overcome significant hurdles throughout school, both in and out of the classroom, and will likely be a major factor in your lifelong success and happiness. They have been in mine!

Proficiency in using technology is essential for surviving college today and can help us achieve greatness later in life. If you’re not in school yet, you may want to skim the book for the tech sections to see the tools available and to budget and plan for purchases before you arrive. They shouldn’t be viewed as toys; devices such as PDAs and laptops can be essential to our survival, and cell phones and instant messengers can be the lifelines we need to survive away from home and our support network.

When I was first diagnosed with ADD, I had teachers tell my parents I was the worst student they’d ever had in their lives. I struggled in higher education, banging my head against the wall—literally and figuratively—out of frustration. I was bored, overwhelmed, dazed, and confused.

But then I researched everything I could about ADD and started implementing the ideas I discovered into my life and studies. I went from abysmally bombing quizzes and tests to getting A’s. I went from crying in the middle of the night over not being able to keep up with my studies to having the time to work out, train, make friends…in short, the time to have a life. I successfully graduated and started helping others with ADD to do the same. I taught them the exact same tips and strategies that you’ll be getting in this book, and armed with this information, they tapped into their gifts and found success.

And while they had my direct coaching available, you have even greater resources right at your fingertips. For almost any problem you face, you’ll find a solution in this book. No matter the time of day or night, no matter the problem, it’s here to help you through, get you on track, bring out your best, and help you succeed.

I know you can do it. Just the fact that you’re reading this book speaks volumes about your commitment to overcoming your challenges and succeeding with ADD. Whether you’re a struggling senior or have yet to apply to college, this book can turn things around and help you use your college experience to springboard you into a life filled with successes beyond your greatest expectations.

I wish you peace, happiness, and all green lights on your path to success through college and throughout life. And I’ll be there with you, through this book, as we journey together toward your dreams. You are never alone in this; others have been through similar circumstances, surviving and thriving after overcoming these challenges. And remember: Sometimes laughter and a sense of humor are the most important things in getting us through the darkest of nights.

Creation is the greatest drug. When you create something, you get this little endorphin buzz. Why do you think Einstein looked like that?

—Robin Williams

2

Succeeding with ADD

"When a defining moment comes along, you can do one of two things. Define the moment, or let the moment define you."

—Tin Cup

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression it’s often darkest before the dawn. Perhaps nowhere is this truer than with us ADDers. Despite tremendous gifts, we often struggle in the shadows, fighting our own inner demons, people who don’t believe in ADD, and a mind that’s constantly shifting gears, tripping over itself, and getting stuck.

But there is hope. The great news is that we can get unstuck, overcome our challenges, and turn obstacles into our greatest teachers. We just can’t allow ourselves to quit or stop pushing ahead, no matter what.

Inspiration: Think You Can’t?

Thomas Edison was told he was unteachable; he was kicked out of three schools before being home schooled. His last headmaster said he’d never make it, that he was a screw up. But Edison never gave up. With his creative mind he devised and patented over ten thousand inventions, including the light bulb, the phonograph, and film.

Inspiration: Think You Can’t?

Albert Einstein struggled in high school math. He wasn’t a linear thinker and couldn’t go from point A to point B the way his teachers wanted. Good thing he didn’t, or we wouldn’t have his incredible, far-reaching, and creative theory of relativity that’s shaped modern physics. Do you like Disney World or Mickey Mouse? An editor once fired Walt Disney for a lack of good ideas.

Do you enjoy great novels? Russian author Leo Tolstoy flunked out of college!

Werner Von Braun, a visionary pioneer in rocket science, failed ninth grade algebra.

Winston Churchill, celebrated for pulling the United Kingdom through its darkest days during World War II and being instrumental in the Allied success, failed the eighth grade.

Ever struggled in chemistry? So did Louis Pasteur, a brilliant chemist and the creator of the pasteurization process. And apparently Einstein wasn't the only challenged physicist—Sir Isaac Newton, who discovered the laws of gravity, also struggled badly in grade school.

The next time you go to a department store, look around you at the clerks. There was once a twenty-one-year-old who wasn’t allowed to talk to the customers because his bosses thought he lacked common sense. His name was F. W. Woolworth, and he went on to found Woolworth’s, the basis for all modern department stores.

I was originally diagnosed with ADD in the second grade. We moved to a new town, with a school system that didn’t dismiss ADD, and I was put on Ritalin and went from a straight F to a straight A student.

However, I still had major troubles with organization, time management, social skills, and impulsivity. Despite this, I muddled along until I was twelve. At that time my doctors, unsure of Ritalin’s affect on boys in puberty (studies have since shown it to be one of the safest and most researched medicines on the market, but at that time this was still unproven), took me off Ritalin to be on the safe side.

I struggled through two junior highs and then two high schools, always trying to fit in and find a place for me and my ADD brain in the world. Over time I found I was good at drama and bicycling, both of which gave me confidence and greater self-esteem. Later on in high school I discovered a talent for writing and helped found and edit a new school newspaper. These successes were the body armor I needed to overcome the barrage of negativity from those around me, people who were certain I would never succeed.

After graduation I went to The Colorado College in Colorado Springs. This was great for me, because they were on the block plan, which meant I only took one class at a time. Despite taking classes, my real major was bicycle racing. It calmed me down and helped me focus, and I dreamed of participating in the Tour de France. Unfortunately, it meant I didn’t take my studies seriously. I earned a degree in political science not because I wanted to go into law or politics, but because it was easy enough to allow me to put my energies into biking.

After college I moved to Europe to chase my dream of becoming a Tour de France cyclist, but instead I was hit by a car while racing in the French Alps. After the three years I'd spent in Europe, my body was too injured to continue and I moved back to the States. At first I wallowed in feelings of failure and mediocrity, but eventually I found a job I enjoyed and became heavily involved in the business. My ADD gifts meant I was very creative, energetic, good with people, and able to see the big picture, and I worked my way up the corporate ladder to become a high-level executive.

While I was great at ideas, I had immense difficulty with follow-through. And though I was highly productive and great at multi tasking, my poor sense of prioritizing meant I was always behind. My desk had a mountain of papers on it, and I had no idea how to sift through them. I also had trouble reading the social cues of my coworkers and employees.

In most people’s eyes I was very successful, but I felt constantly on edge, as if failure (a piano-of-doom falling from the sky), or maybe a lynch mob, was right around the corner. I was constantly juggling too much and jumping from crisis to crisis, leaving myself with the sharp, nagging anxiety that things were about to plunge out of control.

Losing Focus

This unsettling, nagging feeling tore into my gut until I left my job, income, and semi-stability behind to chase my dreams and start my own company. I had a great idea and thought it’d be a tremendous success—and it might have been, had I followed through on it.

Without the stability of routine or accountability to anyone else, however, I couldn’t get focused or remain on task. Without instantaneous success, riches, and accolades, I quickly tired of the new idea, switched gears, and started a second company, followed rapidly by a third. I was now flailing, bouncing from idea to idea without the foundation or direction I needed to stay on track and patiently wait to turn a profit.

Then I really jumped off the deep end. Having completed exactly one triathlon, I impulsively decided to leave business altogether and become a professional triathlete. I spent thousands of dollars to pack up all my belongings, put my house up for sale, and drive a U-Haul almost two thousand miles out to California. There with my two dogs, I lived out of my car, unable to rent even the most rundown of shacks with my spotty credit. Homeless, unemployed, without local friends, a support network, or savings, I finally saw I had made a terrible mistake. Frustrated and disheartened, after two weeks I came crying back to Colorado. I knew I had to stop bouncing from idea to idea.

After quite a bit of brainstorming and soul searching, I felt more education would help ground me and get my life back on track. Due to my love of business and people, I decided to pursue an MBA. In typical ADD style, I hyper-focused for two weeks to cram for the GMAT, barely sleeping and rooted to my computer. Though highly suspect and terrible on the body, my unorthodox study method worked. I scored well on the test and was accepted into Colorado State University’s MBA program.

Going to school was a great idea, but what I did next was not. I was also interested in technology and computers, so I thought I’d pursue a computer degree after getting my MBA. However, a director at the school half-jokingly suggested that, instead of getting one degree and then the other, why didn’t I get both at the same time? As a typical ADDer, I thought this was a great idea—if a little is good, then more is better! So I enrolled in both the accelerated MBA and computer information systems programs simultaneously.

When school started, I found out the hard way how ADD affected me as an adult student. School was completely overwhelming, and in particular, seven graduate-level classes at the same time was insane. I had been out of school for ten years, and had never even taken more than one class at a time! I didn’t remember how to study, write papers, or concentrate in class. I couldn’t keep track of what was due when, I was completely overwhelmed by the workload, and I would freeze up during my tests.

It was a miracle I survived my first two semesters. Everything was a struggle; I’d study until four in the morning, collapse, and then have to return to school at eight. In the midst of sleep-deprived tears and angst, I swung back and forth between thinking I’d flunk out of the programs and wanting to quit them. But I kept going and pushed through the nightmare, convinced it’d be beneficial in the long run. After the first year, however, I had had enough. I didn’t want to quit, but I knew I had to do something. The second year was supposed to be much tougher than the first, and I had barely survived that.

I decided it was time to look into the symptoms and treatment of adult ADD. Until then I’d been trained and taught that adult ADD was just an excuse and not a reality. Psychiatric professionals who didn’t believe in ADD had also pretty nearly convinced me that my problem was something else, and not as severe as I knew it to be. But what else could account for trying harder only to fall further behind, or knowing what to do but being unable to actually do it? While I knew I was overextended, that didn’t explain my freezing up, feelings of anxiety, poor juggling skills, disorganization, and lack of concentration. I had myself tested at the school for adult ADD, and the diagnosis was confirmed. I was prescribed Adderall, which helped me calm down, focus, and begin my ADD journey of self-exploration.

Rebuilding My Life

The medication worked like glasses—it helped me see things, like how much trouble I was in and the problems I was facing. I sought additional help for my ADD, trying to understand how it affected me and how to work with it effectively. I started reading everything: books, articles, research papers, anything I could get my hands on. Then I started to reevaluate every piece of my life as it related to ADD. I looked at where I placed my shoes in the morning, how and what I ate, when I slept, where, when, and how I studied…in short, everything.

I then rebuilt my life around ADD. In essence I had to write a new owner’s manual for my brain. I had achieved success in many areas of my life in the past, so I looked at these areas to see how I had become successful and what techniques I had used. Then I applied these to my current experiences, both in and out of the classroom. It worked, and in the fall I went from struggling in class to achieving high marks. At the same time, I started racing bicycles again and won a cycling state championship. I owe all of these successes to rebuilding my life with an understanding of ADD.

Although I graduated with two master’s degrees, the most important knowledge I gained wasn’t the degrees themselves but the process of learning how to achieve at a high level with ADD. Now I write, coach, and speak on my experiences and what I gained from them to help others struggling with ADD, to aid them in succeeding without first having to bang their heads against the wall or make the kinds of mistakes I made.

Inspiration: Do You Recognize This Man?

•He failed as a business-man—as a storekeeper.

•He failed as a farmer—he despised this work.

•He failed in his first attempt to attain political office.

•After being elected to the legislature, he failed when he sought the office of Speaker.

•He failed in his first attempt to get elected to Congress.

•He failed when he sought the appointment to the United States Land Office.

•He failed when he ran for the United States Senate.

•He failed when friends sought for him the nomination for the vice presidency in 1856.

•In his entire life, this man only attended school for twelve months.

•He failed more times than many of us will even try.

•Yet he helped change the world and emancipated a population.

His name? Abraham Lincoln, freer of the slaves and arguably one of the best presidents to ever have served this country.

Source: www.nps.gov/pub_aff/pres/trivia.htm

You Are Not Alone

With ADD we often feel alone, isolated, and broken, as if something is wrong with us. With everything we’ve been through and heard and been told, we think we have moral failings or are stupid, defective, or just missing something that everyone else has. But there’s nothing wrong with us, and we certainly didn’t miss anything. On the contrary, we caught too much, concentrating on everything at once rather than the specific things we’re supposed to. It earns us terrible, misinformed labels, and puts an amazing amount of negativity into our already skewed sense of self. We come to believe that we are lazy, crazy, or stupid after all.

The reality is that we all have potential greatness inside and can achieve beyond our wildest dreams. Success is about finding your gifts, aligning them with your passions, being creative, and letting yourself fly. With this book and others, we now have the advantage of knowing what we’re up against and being certain of the special gifts inside each and every one of us. Our only limitation? Being too realistic, not daring to dream high enough! We’re the dream makers and achievers; therefore we must aim high.

What Can We Learn from This?

The lesson here is that you, like those mentioned above, can succeed far beyond your expectations. It doesn’t matter that you think differently; creative minds always do. That’s our biggest advantage! You are not what people say you are. You are a creator, a visionary, an inventor, a future leader, a living work of art who has the potential for tons of success. Look at the list of people below and envision yourself among them. You are capable of great things once you learn how to tap into your gifts.

Famous People Suspected of Displaying ADD Traits

Inspiration: Remember This!

•Your creative mind is your ticket to greatness.

•Don’t listen to the negativity.

•Don’t believe what you know isn’t true.

•You have a gift.

•Believe in yourself.

•Use the talent that lies within you.

•And no matter what, don’t ever give up!!

Anything is possible. You can be told that you have a 90 percent chance or a 50 percent chance or a 1 percent chance, but you have to believe, and you have to fight.

—Lance Armstrong

3

Understanding ADD

"Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves."

—Henry David Thoreau

Chances are, if you’re reading this chapter, you want to know more about ADD to see if:

• You have ADD.

• Your ADD is like everyone else’s.

• You really are lazy, crazy, and stupid.*

There’s a reasonable explanation for your challenges, struggles, and inconsistencies. Let me begin by telling you this: You’re not lazy, crazy, or stupid, and you are not alone. Many other people are facing the same challenges you are. But no two cases of ADD are ever alike. Let’s start by looking at the symptoms.

Symptoms of ADD

Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.—Helen Keller

All of our symptoms vary widely, and even vary within ourselves depending on our mood, moment, environment, and place in life.

ADD Challenges: Some Common Scenarios

Picture this: You set up twenty radios in your living room, tune them each to a different station, and blare them all at once. Can you concentrate? Can you focus? Do you know what to follow and what to tune out? That’s what the ADD mind is often like.

Picture this: You slept through your alarm, you’re late for class, and you can’t find your keys. You drop everything to hunt for your keys. Finally you find them. But now you can’t find your backpack. How in the world do you lose an overstuffed backpack the size of a small couch? Finally, you find your backpack, but now where are your blasted keys?!?!

Picture this: You’re in school, but you don’t know why. You’re studying biology because you thought medicine might be cool. But the more you get into it,