Inspiration, Intention, Action - The ADHD Project Newsletter 8/5

• Are ADHD and Olympic Gold Related? - The Olympics have taken over our news feeds lately, and for good reason! Did you know that decorated gymnast Simone Biles is just one of a long list of successful athletes with ADHD? Check out this article from ADDitude Magazine about Olympians, Professional Athletes, and Sports Legends with ADHD Click here for more details!

• CALLING ALL ADHD COACHES! - Are you an ADHD coach building or growing your practice? ADHD coaching is becoming a highly competitive industry, and effective social media management can be the difference that makes you stand out among the crowd. For a free review to see how we could help you build, grow, or optimize your social media presence, email us at info@theadhdproject.com and send us your website or social media info!

• Don't Miss Our Latest Special Guest Episode! - On our most recent podcast episode, we discuss topics such as self-advocacy and the importance of finding a therapist who understands ADHD. We also get to hear Sean McNicholas' story and about his charity work providing support and accommodations to help reform the prison system in the UK. Click here to check it out!
  
  
• Sneak Preview - For the next few weeks, we're going to try something new for our weekly newsletter. I will be sharing parts of my upcoming book (Working title: "Quit Your Job - But Read This First") with you. The book discusses the way we, as a society, view our jobs and the roles they take in our lives especially as neurodiverse individuals. As a regular reader, I want to give you a sneak peak of what's to come and I welcome feedback in any form so feel free to reply to this email!......Keep Scrolling to Read On!

Chapter 2: Re-Thinking Traditional Success Excerpt (part 4)

When you start being honest with yourself about your values, your hopes and dreams, you realize that the true measure of a successful life should be how happy you are with it. It should not be measured against someone else’s standards, or how well you completed a checklist of what society thinks is the best path in life. It is only through this self-honesty, self-acceptance, and radical authenticity that you can finally start to listen to yourself. Suddenly you stop caring about what everyone else thinks is right, and you realize what’s more important is finding what’s right for you.

Yes, there are other people in your life, and I know you all have responsibilities as well. I’m not talking about being selfish here and doing only what matters to you. I’m talking about taking care of yourself to the point where you’re able to contribute meaningfully to the lives of the people around you. If you are miserable, resentful, and full of contempt for having to live a life that you struggle with for someone else’s sake, you’re not doing them any favors. You can’t pour from an empty cup, only once you’re in a place where you’re taking care of yourself can you truly be there for others.

Now, I want to ask you these questions again. Be honest with yourself, for real this time. Do you love your life? Do you like where you’re at and where you’re headed? Do you enjoy what you do with your life every day? Not every day will be a good day, but overall are you happy?

Does your life light a fire within you that motivates you to keep travelling the path you’re on, come hell or high water?

I’m not asking you if you have enough money, though I’m confident I can help you succeed financially. I’m not asking if you have a big house or a fancy car, because those status symbols aren’t really for you they’re for other people to see. I’m not asking if you have the most prestigious job or title, because that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. I’m asking you if you wake up every day dreading the idea of trudging through even one more minute of it. I’m asking you if you hate what you do for the roughly 25% of your life you spend at work. I’m asking you if you’re able to practice happiness, no matter how the ups and downs of life treat you. I’m asking if you’re really living your own authentic life, or someone else’s idea of it.

Hopefully by now you’ve realized that you don’t have to live the cookie cutter, American dream, “norm”, whatever you want to call it kind of life. You may be realizing for the first time that this is not what you wanted and asking yourself how you got to this point. These things are important to learn from, but not to beat yourself up over. I am not in the business of making people feel bad about themselves, I am here to help you overcome the choices that have led you here. To help you make progress towards a more authentic, fulfilled life which you can actually enjoy.

You have the freedom to be you, and there’s no obligation to be like anyone else. Many people learn this and start to realize they don’t even know who they are. They’ve spent a lifetime simply following everyone’s advice on how to live their life, never really stopping to think if it’s even right for them. We need to begin to unpack ourselves and unlearn these limiting beliefs.

How exactly does that work? Well it starts with what we’ve just discussed, and you’ve already taken the first step. Becoming aware of yourself is imperative if you ever want to be fulfilled in life. How can you play the game if you don’t know the rules or the score? You need to spend time getting to know yourself and identifying these limiting beliefs and patterns as we’ve just started to do. Why are you on the path you’re on? Whatever brought you to this place in your life, was it truly what you wanted or was it out of obligation?

This line of thinking likely leads you to some difficult questions. Ones that you don’t know the answer to, or even how to start finding it. Those questions may also come with difficult answers, ones which you won’t like. I know it’s not easy, but this process is so important, and facing these difficult questions and answers is going to help you do more growing. Many of us find it hard to deal with the reality that we have made mistakes or failed at things. The truth is that these mistakes and failures are exactly what we need to learn and get better. Developing a growth mindset where you view these setbacks as opportunities to learn is a major key to practicing happiness and enjoying fulfillment in your life.

Thanks as always for reading,
Aaron Frank
Founder, The ADHD Project