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For me, it all started in 1984.
One Saturday afternoon, when my brother and I were kids, we discovered a comedy show called “Frantic Times” on the radio. We were surprised. We knew Mom & Dad used to listen to radio shows that had scripts and actors, in the old-fashioned days when THEY were kids. But nobody still made shows like that any more…did they???
This stuff was great! Who were these people? At the end of the show, we heard their names: Paul Chato, Rick Green, Dan Redican, and Peter Wildman. With Mag Ruffman.
We were hooked. Every weekend, we’d tune in and giggle like idiots. This made Mom & Dad very happy, because it meant that for half an hour, once a week, we kids weren’t trying to kill each other.
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Flash-forward, about a quarter of a century (Yipes!)…
Three years ago, my brother was reading the Toronto Star, and he noticed an article about Rick Green.
But Rick wasn’t talking about his comedy; he was talking about being diagnosed with ADHD. My brother was amazed to discover that all the things Rick talked about also described me perfectly.
So, my brother sent me the article, with the note, “This sounds just like you!”
He was right.
The article mentioned this new website that Rick and a Dr. Jain had created to help people who had ADHD—particularly adults who (like Rick) hadn’t even known they had it.
I went to the website, took the “Virtual Doctor” and other tests, scored very high, and knew I was on to something. My suspicions were confirmed by my psychiatrist—after asking me a lot of questions about my test results and my life story. My life started to make sense.
This piqued my interest. And when I am interested in something, I want to learn everything about it!
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Today, I have a lot more insight and a lot more confidence (mostly), and I’ve done so many things that I never thought I could…
Instead of being at the mercy of my ADHD and my feelings, I’ve learned to understand them, so they aren’t so overwhelming (mostly).
I’m doing a job several jobs I love, with people who really appreciate what I have to offer—and are used to my quirks (mostly).
I have friends and peers who also really appreciate what I have to offer—and have some of the same quirks as I do!
I’ve embraced being a confirmed singleton, because I know that anything else would make me (and those around me) miserable.
I’ve conquered my impulsive spending (mostly), and gone from the burden of huge debts to the security of watching my savings grow—while still being able to afford the little pleasures that make life worthwhile.
I have a Purpose: To use what I’ve learned, to help other people who are struggling as I was (and still am, more often than I’d like).
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To think, it all started with listening to stuff like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRvUxIaD-cY on the radio…
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