Managing ADHD With Your Very Own New Version of TDHD
Attention relies on focus, focus relies on interests, and interests develop by creating a rewarding and enjoyable atmosphere
ADHD = Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?
According to the mayo clinic, the main character traits of someone with ADHD are; inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity with symptoms that include trouble paying attention or staying focused and easily distracted, careless mistakes, appearing not to listen, difficulty following through, avoid, forget, or dislike tasks, lose items, fidget, in constant motion, talk too much, interrupting, difficulty waiting and so on down the line.
I have been guilty of many, if not all, of the above-mentioned traits, but have learned to work around most of them by first becoming aware and then finding ways of eliminating some or at least managing most of them.
Keep in mind that some of those behaviors are normal and don’t need any diagnoses or medications to combat, and by no means am I promising any cures to those who have been “professionally diagnosed” with this disorder.
But my concern is that once someone is “diagnosed” by a so-called professional, they take on that stigma and wear it like a tattoo as something they can never get rid of or, God forbid, be a slave to the pharmaceutical industry as a perpetual customer.
Again, I’m not a physician and am not suggesting that I have a cure for or can diagnose your situation but I am just relaying to you the process I go through to shed light on the thinking and actions I take to cope with my challenges.
The main challenge I face seems to be focus and focus can be greatly enhanced by interest because if you’re not interested in doing what you’re doing, not only does focus fly out the window, it finds the nearest swamp to drown itself in.
To that, I would like to introduce to you my acronym, TDHD, and the counter routines I have used to develop my habits.
TDHD = Think, Declare, Honor, Do
This represents the unit of execution as a whole and I’ve structured my life like a business and compared each part of my being as a hierarchy. Business and entrepreneurship have always been an interest of mine, so you may have to model something different, but here it is:
The Brain
This is your executive office where your theories, techniques, ideas, conceptualizations, and beliefs swim around in the penthouse pool smoking expensive cigars and sipping on little drinks with skewered olives. They are locked inside with no keys and no way of escaping.
The Body
This is your factory, warehouse, employees, inventory, and machinery, the means necessary to take a thought that comes down from corporate to produce enough power and turn it into action.
The Arms and Legs
This is your transportation fleet that combines the instructions and the power necessary to transfer them into constructing, acting, applying, making, building, going, and doing.
All together as a whole unit and with the sensory organs, we can accomplish whatever the imagination can come up with, that is, if every individual part of the whole is in harmony with each other and functions as one complete and well-oiled machine.
Going back to the opening acronym T.D.H.D. for a minute.
The first three are all stuck in the office mulling things around, drawing diagrams, slamming gavels, and barking orders. The CEO THOUGHT, its secretary DECLARATION, and the board of HONOR are all continuously sending signals down to the plant manager to start production, repair the machinery, or ship out inventory but if the transportation department DO, doesn’t fire up the fleet and get things moving, nobody gets paid.
The BRIDGE between where you’re at and where you want to be, and what you want and getting it is ACTION!
That could be business, leisure, or relationships… in all areas and on all levels…
For the best possible action to be implemented, you must put legs and arms (your transportation, delivery fleet) to whatever has your interest and do it with your most productive highest abilities, have it be morally right, ethical, and legal. Have it be the most helpful for you as well as everyone involved, and with the best attitude you can muster.
Drilling down further in dissecting each part of the process.
- Think — The thought process
- It doesn’t matter whether your mind wanders or is focused, your creative thoughts trigger curiosity.
- From curiosity, you generate ideas, intuitions, creations, epiphanies, or revelations.
- This could be in life, business, relationships, etc.
- Determine whether it’s worth your time and assign a task to your creations.
Then…
2. Declare — Boldly verbalize what you would like to do/accomplish.
- First to yourself, then to friends, colleagues, family, and business partners.
— Say out loud;
- This is MY idea!
- I will carry through until the end!
- I will make a game plan and take the first step!
- I will ask for help, search out wisdom and learn what I need to do!
Then…
3. Honor — Hold yourself accountable.
- Make your declaration a solid commitment!
- Make a goal and pin a finish date to it!
- Tell a partner, friend, colleague, etc. to hold you accountable also!
- Set checkpoints to evaluate your target!
Notice that the three above are still stuck in the head and do nothing, but this next one is when you jump feet first onto the field and start playing the game instead of just being a spectator or one of those armchair quarterbacks that have all the answers to win the game by screaming at the T.V. but don’t put down the popcorn bowl and beer can to take part in making any kind of difference inside of reality.
That is to then…
4. Do — Get the ball of thought rolling to create momentum.
- Turn your idea… declaration… and honor… into a reality!
- Ask questions to seek answers to what you don’t know!
Tangible action builds skin around the skeleton!
- Use every asset — all of your available nouns!
- Daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals to hit!
- Anything you can do that will bring “it” into fruition!
Another comparison would be like turning a combination lock. Arrive at a thought, STOP, and turn it back toward declaring that thought to be a benefit in moving forward for insuring your survival, expanding your business, improving your relationships, etc. STOP, turn it back in the direction to honor that declaration, STOP, turn it towards finally doing what you thought, declared, and honored. This will complete the circuit on all levels, sign the delivery paperwork, file it, and reset the sequence for the next transaction.
Rinse and repeat!
I meant this to be a process of turning your procrastination or inattention (focus) into a routine that will create better habits so your mind will no longer be your enemy but your ally. I hope this has helped. Have an awesome day.
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Much Love. Rick