In my personal life, I'm a singer, and rock-style music is
my passion. As I've been working to take my abilities to
the next level, I've realized that there are a number of
similarities between managing adult Attention Deficit
Disorder (ADD) and singing rock music. You don't need to be
a rock singer to appreciate the similarities.
Whatever it is that really sparks your passion in life, you
can find parallels between that passion and managing your
ADD. Take my example of singing rock music, and consider
this:
You Gotta Practice.
Even the most skilled and talented rock singers--the Robert
Plants and Ann Wilsons of the world--have to keep their
voices well tuned by using them on a regular basis. Without
practice, a singer's skills and raw talent won't disappear,
but will be a lot harder to access when needed.
Similarly, even the most successful adults with ADD have to
practice their ADD management skills. Time management,
organization and focus, for example, are learned skills
that become rusty when you don't use them on a regular
basis.
It's All About Breathing.
Your breath supports your voice when you're singing. If
you're not breathing regularly and deeply, your body
becomes tense. And tense muscles quickly prevent a singer
from performing well and sounding good.
When you're managing your ADD, tension is one of your worst
enemies. A stressed mind produces a stressed body and vice
versa. That stress quickly leads to ADD overwhelm, and it's
nearly impossible to manage ADD in the state of overwhelm.
One of the best ways to keep stress and tension at bay is
to make a point of breathing deeply and regularly.
You Gotta Believe In Yourself.
Singing is a performance art. If you're going to be a
successful singer, you have to get over your nervousness
and just go for it. (This is the stage I'm in right now!)
If you believe you can do it, then you will find a way. If
you believe you can't do it, then you won't do it.
You also have to believe that you can manage your ADD and
take your life to the next level. If you tell yourself that
you'll never be organized, then you won't be. If you give
up on yourself easily, you'll never allow yourself the
opportunity to be successful. When you're ready to tackle a
challenge or learn a new skill, the first step is believing
that you can do it.
Combining Skill With Personal Style Leads To Success.
One of the things I love about rock music is that the
emphasis is placed more on emotion than on skill. A rock
singer definitely needs to learn about their voice and how
to use it properly, but there is a lot of room for personal
style. In fact, that personal style is what often draws a
person to a particular singer.
This is exactly the way I describe effective ADD
management. There are some base level skills and systems to
be learned, and the rest is all about personal style. When
you learn to manage your ADD, WHAT works for you is not
nearly as important as the fact that it DOES work.
The great thing about drawing these comparisons between two
seemingly different subjects is that it allows you the
opportunity to simplify the challenges you experience and
ground them in something that really excites you. You can
continually remind yourself, "Oh yeah, managing my time is
just like singing. If I'm stressed out and nervous then I'm
not going to do it well! I need to be calm, breathe, and
believe that I can handle this to-do list."
I encourage you to take a stab at this exercise and see if
you can draw some helpful comparisons between managing your
ADD and something else that you're really interested in.
----------------------------------------------------
Jennifer Koretsky is the Founder of the ADD Management
Group, Inc. and the author of Odd One Out: The Maverick's
Guide to Adult ADD. Jennifer and her team work with ADD
adults who are overwhelmed with everyday life in order to
help them simplify, focus, and succeed. For free resources
and information on adult ADD, visit
http://www.ADDmanagement.com .
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