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ADD COACHING

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
Blessing? Or Disorder?

by Bill Dueease
Copyright © 2004

If you have ADD, Welcome Aboard! I am blessed with ADD and enjoy every minute of it.

Read what Shirley Meek-Williams said and how it affected her life and the life of her 23 year old son after reading this article.

"I want to thank you for this article. It hit home for both of us.
I can tell you that reading that article blessed me beyond words."
Shirley Meek Williams

Approximately three to six percent of the American population is believed to have ADD. ADD stands for "Attention Deficit Disorder."

ADD is NOT a Disorder, it is an Advantage

My belief is that ADD is misnamed. Instead, it should be named "Attention Expansion Advantage" (AEA). People with AEA/ADD have certain mental and physical characteristics that give them distinct advantages. These same characteristics also present several drawbacks. I believe the condition was named by focusing on the drawbacks and completely overlooks the advantages. AEA/ADD people are different. They can rarely be controlled. Thus, normal (non-ADD) people have labeled ADD people with the "Disorder" tag. The term "Disorder" being defined by The American Heritage Dictionary as a "disturbance of the normal physical or mental health."

People with AEA/ADD are very special.

AEA/ADD people can and do perform remarkable things, when they understand their advantages and utilize them, and understand the drawbacks and overcome them. For example, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, John F. Kennedy, John Lennon, Henry Ford, Mozart, Galileo, and Winston Churchill, were believed to have AEA/ADD. Terry Bradshaw, Robin Williams, Magic Johnson, Henry Winkler, and Mohammed Ali are also believed to have it. (The author personally conversed with Mohammed Ali for three hours and was privileged to see how special his mind worked.) They were and still are very special people BECAUSE they have AEA/ADD.

Physical characteristics of AEA/ADD

People with AEA/ADD do not have the filters normal people have that restrict the volume and capacity of the brain to receive input from the five basic senses. Smell, Sight, Touch, Hearing, and Taste. AEA/ADD people hear, taste, smell, feel, and see things that normal people do not. It can be said that ADD/AEA people do not have an attention deficit. Instead, their attention is expanded, because AEA/ADD people are far more attuned to their surroundings. They receive and process much more information through the five senses. As an example, I understand that a normal person can hear sounds between 20 and 20,000 Hz. An AEA/ADD person might hear sounds between 10 and 30,000 Hz. This relative difference is true for the other four senses as well. They also have more difficulty blocking out input from the five senses. For example, it is much harder for ADD/AEA people to ignore noises that normal people can ignore, or do not even hear.

In addition, the brains of AEA/ADD people operate much faster than those of other people, estimates range from two to three times faster. For one thing their brains have to operate faster to process all of the additional input they are receiving from the five senses. In fact, their brains seek constant input. Their brains are almost always on full throttle. Consequently, AEA/ADD people appear to have much higher and longer lasting energy levels.

AEA/ADD people are most often very intelligent. But their intelligence is not always readily apparent. Albert Einstein had to take the fifth grade over again. AEA/ADD people are most often very impulsive, because their brains naturally circumvent the "rational" part of their brain that restricts clear thoughts by considering the input of others. Their impulsive actions are not always well received by normal people. However, when AEA/ADD people are able to use their exceptional information gathering capabilities, their faster, less restricted, ability to process this additional information, and they are able to gain control of their impulsiveness, they can present their remarkable conclusions and results to the normals in a way that will be readily accepted.

Sometimes AEA/ADD people will feel down, because of the frustrations of dealing with the normal, slower world, which can be troublesome if they let these frustrations get to them. However, AEA/ADD people frequently bounce back to their normal energetic levels.

It is also my experience that AEA/ADD is passed down directly from parents to their children. We have found that a vast majority of AEA/ADD people has, at least, one parent who also has it, whether they know or admit it. This is a blessing, because this gives ADD/AEA children, at least, one parent who can easily relate to them by operating at their same speed.

Blessings of having AEA/ADD

AEA/ADD people operate in a mindset that is outside the world of normal people. Consequently, they constantly think out of the box. AEA/ADD people see more of the world and are able to process the additional information to see the truth in things that normal people frequently overlook. They are very creative and constantly take themselves, their thoughts, and their ideas places that normal people rarely know exist. AEA/ADD people want to be trailblazers and they most often are. They are very adept at reading other people, especially in one on one personal interactions. AEA/ADD people can recognize, understand and organize extremely complex ideas, concepts, and processes. They have an extremely sensitive, very acute and very accurate sixth sense. Their hunches and intuition are remarkable, and are almost scary at times.

They frequently have spurts of boundless energy, then they like to hibernate. They have the unusual ability to hyper focus, and do so for long periods of time. By hyper focus I mean they can direct their entire mind and body on complex, yet specific activities and get into zones of concentration that are very remarkable. This hyper focus produces spectacular achievements. Thomas Edison was legendary for his spurts of hyper focus. He tested over 5,000 different light filament materials, before he finally found the one that worked. They can think extremely fast on their feet and react faster than most people. They can also conduct multiple activities at the same time. This is called multitasking.

In summary, AEA/ADD people are blessed with the ability to receive additional information through their senses, they are able to process all of this additional information and reach accurate conclusions very quickly, and they have the intelligence, energy, focus, and motivation to go places and create things that normal people are most likely not aware of.

Drawbacks of AEA/ADD as seen by normal people

In the eyes of normal people, AEA/ADD people have the following impediments that provided the basis to call it a "Disorder." AEA/ADD people cannot be controlled. They can be fidgety and impatient, especially in confined meetings, like school classes (because they get bored). AEA/ADD people appear to be disorganized (invariably messy). They appear to be easily distracted, (because they react to sensory information not perceived by others). They appear to have difficulty focusing on anything for very long (because they get bored). But they also get into zones where it is difficult to interrupt them. They appear to frequently forget to complete things (like completing paperwork), or forget about important dates and events (like meetings). They can have brilliant ideas but often forget about them later.

They can be difficult to talk to, because they frequently interrupt normal people and sometimes even finish their sentences, and they regularly bounce from subject to subject. They appear to be very impulsive and frequently do or say things that are out of the norm. They frequently address the truth in things, and appear to have fewer social graces. They are frequently stubborn and challenge information presented by others, and are far more often than not right. They tend to get bored easily. They normally do not perform repetitive tasks well. They seek challenges and change. They have difficulty turning their brains off, or slowing them down. Their minds are either seeking more input or creating more ideas.

The special relationship between ADD/AEA people

Yet, when two AEA/ADD people meet and interact, few of the above drawbacks occur. Watching two AEA/ADD people talk about matters they both enjoy can be a trip. That's because many of the "drawbacks" that frequently bother normal people, do not affect ADD/AEA people. Thus, some of the drawbacks represent the uncomfortable ways normal people (only) react to the behaviors of people with AEA/ADD. Two AEA/ADD people will have similar energy levels, think at the same speed, focus at the same levels, are tuned into similar input from their expanded senses, and process the information at the same speed. They are much more in tune with each other and communicate with much less difficulty. AEA/ADD people are not bothered as much by bouncing from subject to subject, fidgeting, impatience, boredom, lack of social graces and impulsiveness when they communicate with each other.

Drawbacks ADD/AEA people want to overcome

However, there are some drawbacks that AEA/ADD people need to overcome to live a more effective and enjoyable life. These drawbacks include the tendency of forgetfulness, the tendency to be over impulsive, and the tendency to be impatient in communicating with normal people. ADD/AEA people also appear to have difficulty completing tasks and projects required by others. They appear to lack control over their desire and ability to focus. They also have difficulties in remembering names of others. There are solutions to these drawbacks.

ADD/AEA people are in the minority

The reality is that "normal" people far out number ADD/AEA people. Thus, ADD/AEA people are frequently disparaged, degraded, and criticized because they do not conform to the way "normal" people think and interact with others. Normal people apply considerable pressure on ADD/AEA people to get with the program and adjust to be like everyone else.

The common "solution" to correcting ADD impediments

First, I want to clarify that in my opinion having ADD does not require a "solution." ADD cannot be fixed, because people with ADD are not broken. Yet, people tend to seek "solutions," because they feel different. We people with ADD ARE DIFFERENT! And that is our blessing. But many people, especially parents, want to normalize their children and they search for "solutions" to do so.

One of the most common "solutions" to "fix" ADD people is to prescribe drugs (normally amphetamines). Drug companies are more than willing to promise quick fix "solutions." The profit margins to drug companies to convince ADDers to take their drugs are astounding. Drugs are frequently used to convert ADD people (especially children) into being more "normal" and more controllable. These drugs generally slow the brains of ADD people down, reduce their tendencies to be over impulsive, to be fidgety, and they decrease tendencies to be distracted. There are a number of drugs available that affect ADD people in different ways. Unfortunately, ADD patients are not always matched with the right drugs for them. When this happens, ADD patients have frequently felt that they lose the blessings of AEA/ADD, and that they lose control over their own minds and turn into less than alive people.

In my opinion, drugs are not the fix all solution for every person with ADD. Not all ADD people respond favorably to the drug solution. (I have never used any drugs for ADD, and my two ADD children voluntarily chose to cease their prescribed medications, and prospered thereafter). When done right, drugs can appear to provide some assistance to only some of the drawbacks of ADD, but not all of them, but at what price? The negative side affects these drugs cause and the reduction of the brain activity (and hence the brainpower and one source of the AEA blessings) that they most often force have shown that they most often create more problems than they help.

The overwhelming power of the Drug Companies to push ADD drugs.

Unfortunately, the powerful drug companies caused at least one high profile Internet supposedly "ADD support group" (no doubt strongly financed by ADD drug companies) to demand that I change this section and recommend ADD medications as the "only solution to the problems of ADD," before they would publish this article. (I will gladly provide the name and address of this "ADD support group, upon request) Yet, having AEA/ADD is not a problem that needs a solution, and these drugs are not near as affective as they are so highly promoted. In fact, if the ADD drug companies were not truly afraid of these truths becoming public, they would not have been so adamant about censoring me and my exposure of to the true values of their drugs. I refused to be a pawn in their hoodwinking of the general public.

These drug companies can easily make a fortune off the use of their ADD drugs. They look at the overall life time use of these drugs which will generate serious profits for each ADD soul they convince to take them for the rest of their life.

Other ways to overcome to AEA/ADD drawbacks

There are other very effective ways to overcome the normal drawbacks of ADD, that especially irk the normals. These include the full understanding of the behavioral differences of being AEA/ADD, and adjusting behavioral practices to control these issues at a very practical and desirable level.

As an example, let's discuss a solution to the forgetfulness drawback. AEA/ADD people need to create a "to do" list that they have by their side at all times, and constantly monitor and review. Whenever they come up with an idea or agree to do something (without a time limit) they must immediately write the key words to each matter on the "to do" list. The "to do" list becomes their index for action items. In addition, they want to have a calendar with them at all times that they also review frequently. Whenever they decide to do something that is time dependent, like meet someone for lunch, remember a birthday (AEA/ADD people are notorious for forgetting birthdays and anniversaries) or turn in a report, they need to put it on the calendar.

The Life (ADD) Coach Solution

Another example of a non-drug based process to is to use a life (or ADD) coach to accomplish, at least, one coachable goal. Sometimes, using a life (or ADD) coach is done in conjunction with using the right medication. By using a coach, AEA/ADD people will discover what their true (and special) talents are, what their unique self-imposed obstacles (drawbacks) are, what their true passions (zeal for creativity) are, what their true priorities are, and what their values and beliefs (spirituality) are. The unique blessings they have because of their AEA/ADD will also be discovered and recognized. AEA/ADD people will work with their coach to achieve their coachable goals around their special unique priorities and characteristics uncovered in the discovery process. This way the AEA/ADD person will be able to use their special and unique gifts in a natural way to achieve their goals. In other words, they create the situations where they achieve their goals by being themselves. By focusing on achieving their coachable goals by living and acting on their terms, they basically change their environment to suit them. (What a concept).

There are other behavioral solutions to virtually all of the "drawbacks" that do not include drugs and that allow AEA/ADD people to gain control over their brains and maximize the unique blessings they were given.

Conclusion

Having AEA/ADD places people in a very special and blessed category. AEA/ADD people can easily enjoy a very wondrous and rewarding life because they have it, when they understand their AEA/ADD, manage their drawbacks, and accentuate their unique gifts to reach whatever life and other goals they set. Just look at the remarkable lives enjoyed by the people I listed above with ADD and the wonderful contributions they gave us all, because they had ADD, and I believe not of them ever took any ADD medications. I have thoroughly enjoyed my gifts from AEA/ADD, and I have prospered because of what the blessings from AEA/ADD have allowed me to do. You can too!

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