What strengths do you have with ADHD and how have you made them work for you?

[Anonymous]

Hello all!

Just wanted to get things started with a postive post…

What strengths do you have that ADHD has given you personally and what have you done with them?

Some of mine are the gifts of non-stop gab, curiousity boundless enthusiasm and energy.

I accidentally fell into the world of hairdressing, thought I’d try it and behold!

Thirty years later am still in love with my job and doing well in it.

Ten hours a day talkingtalkingtalkingtalking…multi-tasking and running around on my feet..hurrah!

Strengths parlayed into success instead of wondering ‘Why can’t I ever sit Still and Shut Up?’

The answer is ‘Because i don’t have to!’

What are your superpowers??????????

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[Irish10]

MerryMac, the best communicators that I’ve ever met are also the best listeners. Remember the old saying? “The reason God gave you 2 ears and one mouth is so you can listen twice as much as you talk.” You may want to try using more open ended questions (can’t be answered with a Yes or No; Who, Why, What, When, Where & How) in your conversations. The “Pregnant Pause” is also helpful in having good conversations. Pausing is difficult to do at first if you’re not accustomed to it, but a person can quickly develop this skill. Pausing prior to answering a question also tells your listener that you value their question and are giving thought to it.

In my business, excellent business intelligence is a competitive advantage. Being that we’re information junkies (ADHD people), that has worked to my advantage. Also, I have excellent recall of this information, even years later. Many people have commented on my memory. I have the ability to connect the dots to people and events. It has worked well in the past in conversations with people, which has spurred even more information from these people for me to process. We have a tendency to engage in information overload, which is the downside.

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[Anonymous]

I’m creative, empathetic, love the arts, am great with people/love people/social, able to respond to “emergency” situations quickly and when it counts most (I actually get calm), a good (to hopefully sometimes great) writer. I find that while I can talk to people easily, when I take the time to write, I can pull out some really great thoughts and insights. I’ve had people thank me for it before and that’s really gratifying.

I’m also curious and love to learn. It’s a never-ending “quest” to just know as much as I possibly can about the things I’m interested in or that even others are interested in (so I can relate to them better.) I’ve had people say, “Just ask her, she knows everything.” I’d love to use that to really become “the” expert though. I’ve always called myself a “Jill of all trades, mistress of none.” It’s a strength to be diverse for the most part, but I’d love to hone that into something a bit “sharper” and without all the “background noise” that goes with it.

Much like you Irish10, I’ve found I can recall a lot of information it just seems to be a lot of it that I’ve jammed in my brain. I’m particularly good at remembering things about people I’ve met and been interested in. My mom always told me I always came home with the most interesting people.

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[Tiddler]

My strengths. Hmmm. Less easy to talk about than the things that are getting me down but here goes.

I have a very high IQ and I pick things up very easily – the more complicated the better.

I have strong empathy.

I’m told, by my kids, that I’m a great mum and a good listener.

I take good care of my pets.

I don’t whinge about my problems (bad back, chronic asthma, ADHD, dyspraxia)

I’ll drop everything to go to a friend in need.

I do a fair bit of charity work.

And don’t read the next bit if you want it to stay positive!

I have a very high IQ and I pick things up very easily – the more complicated the better. BUT I FORGET IT JUST AS EASILY.

I have strong empathy. BUT I DON’T HAVE THE ABILITY TO ‘SELF SOOTHE’ AND FIND MYSELF CRYING ALONG – NOT VERY HELPFUL.

I’m told, by my kids, that I’m a great mum and a good listener. HURRAH. ONE I CAN LEAVE AS IT IS.

I take good care of my pets. YES. I DO THAT.

I don’t whinge about my problems (bad back, chronic asthma, ADHD, dyspraxia) I DON’T WHINGE BUT THEY DO GET ME DOWN.

I’ll drop everything to go to a friend in need. I’M NOT ALWAYS REQUIRED AND I DON’T ALWAYS THINK OF THE CONSEQUENCES REGARDING WHATEVER IT IS I’M SUPPOSED TO BE DOING.

I do a fair bit of charity work. BUT I CAN BE LATE HANDING IN WORK OR CAN OVER FOCUS ON THE WRONG THINGS AND AM NOT AS PRODUCTIVE AS I’D LIKE. I ALSO DO IT WHEN I SHOULD BE DOING OTHER THINGS, LIKE HOUSEWORK.

In all though, I’m really pleased to be able to write down some of my strengths. Although there are down sides to some of them I’m pretty proud of them and it’s good to remember that.

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[Author]

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