Resiliency and ADHD success

Last month Edge Foundation attended CHADD’s regional conference in Anaheim.  The keynote speaker, Mark Katz presented an inspiring talk about resiliency we felt you needed to hear.  You probably already know that resiliency means having the ability to roll with the punches.  But what you might not know is that the more resilient you are the more likely you are to be successful.  Katz knows what he’s talking about when he says resiliency is an important quality of success.  Katz wrote the book on resiliency:  On Playing a Poor Hand Well: Insights from the Lives of Those Who Have Overcome Childhood Risks and Adversities.

Do you see your intelligence as fixed?  Our society puts a lot of value in IQs.  Just about everyone has their IQ number written down on a report in a file cabinet somewhere.  But what if we told you that’s all it is, a number?  There is a growing body of research that indicates your attitude is a more important indicator of success than your IQ.  In fact, students who see their as fixed are more likely to give up when they encounter challenges.  But students who believe that hard work pay off, are more likely to achieve their goals.

In a July 6, 2008 New York Times article detailing her research on the power of attitude on your future success,  Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck says, “People who believe in the power of talent tend not to fulfill their potential because they’re so concerned with looking smart and not making mistakes.  But people who believe that talent can be developed are the ones who really push, stretch, confront their own mistakes and learn from them.”

An ADHD coach is your own personal cheering session

If you have ADHD you’ve probably had people tell you that you won’t be able to achieve your full potential. or you aren’t trying hard enough.  Or maybe they’ve offered to help.  If you just did it their way, you’d be successful.

What if we told you figuring out what to do isn’t the problem.  Figuring out how to master yourself is?  The problem is the ADHD brain works differently than everyone else’s.  This is where an ADHD coach can help.  ADHD coaches know that the same approach doesn’t work for everyone.  As the old saying goes, if the shoe doesn’t fit, don’t blame the foot!  ADHD coaches work with people just like you, every day, and help them find solutions that work for them – not for their parents or friends.  They’ll help you work with your urge to procrastinate, be accountable, study smarter not harder, assess your time, prioritize, and stick to your plan!

But most importantly, an ADHD coach will give you your own cheering section.  They’ll tell you “you can do it!” and “don’t give up” even in your darkest hour.  And having people in your life encourage you is the foundation to building your confidence and your own “can do” attitude.

If you’re discouraged or need a boost in your attitude, sign up today for a coach.  Don’t go it alone.  Let a coach help you turn your attitude around and get back on track to achieving your dreams!

What do you think?

We’d love to hear from you.  Do you believe in the power of positive thinking?  Does your attitude have more to do with your success than you IQ?  And what do you do to keep going even when you’ve made mistakes?