Your Attention Please

Nelson Mandela said, “Your playing small does not serve the world.  Who are you not to be great?”

As I read this, I realized that I do sometimes play small, not allowing myself to be as successful as I can be.  What is playing small?  It’s easiest to define by considering the opposite: “Playing Big.”

For me, “Playing Big” means developing my strengths so my life’s work transforms the world in a positive way.  It means using my strengths, empathy, passion and connectedness, to bring a community of adults with ADHD not merely overcome inattention, procrastination, disorganization and other ADHD challenges, but to help them move beyond “overcoming” to tap into their true gifts so that they too can affect the world positively.  It also means to be financially successful so I can continue my life’s work and be a model for others.

Helping my clients “Play Big” also means not accepting their excuses for playing small or, worse, not playing at all.  Playing Big requires that you face your fears about failure… or about success… and not allowing anything to stop you… not ADHD, not money, not fear, not anything!

How have you been playing small lately?  What will it take to move to your Big Game?  Because…

Who are you not to be great?

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Often, someone else says something you wish you’d said, or (as in this case) you’ve been saying for a long time, but they say it in a way you wish you’d said it.

This happened to me today. I was reading yesterday’s CopyBlogger issue, “how 2 blog if u suk at writin.“  It’s an excellent article for you entrepreneurs out there who have been hesitant about blogging even though you know it would be enormously beneficial for your marketing efforts, but….

This tip really jumped off the page (screen) for me! I hope the message comes through loud and clear for you too! As an adult with ADHD, your life will be so much better if you take this message to heart:

“Attempting to do what you can’t will only frustrate you. I speak from experience. When I was a child, I wanted nothing more than to be the next Bruce Lee. I read every book I could find on every style of martial arts. I attended every school within a 50 mile radius. I went to expensive seminars from renowned fighters. I was bound and determined to be able to kick anyone’s ass.

But I was in a wheelchair. Worse, I had (and still have) a disease that caused me to become progressively weaker, eventually losing the use of my arms altogether. Pursuing martial arts was the sort of hopeful foolishness that only a child can muster, and it led me to oceans of frustration. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how much I wanted it, I would never become the next Bruce Lee.

Eventually, I wised up and put all of that energy into mastering the use of words instead, and after about 10 years of studying every aspect of writing and practicing it on a daily basis, I’m finally getting pretty good it. I still can’t kick your ass, but I can probably persuade someone to kick your ass for me. Not quite as satisfying, maybe, but it’ll do.”

Thanks to Jon Morrow, the Associate Editor of Copyblogger and co-founder of Partnering Profits.

ADHDers can kick butt!  If you do it in a round about way, you’re still kicking butt. So stop worrying about what you can’t do, and stop worrying about the things you can do but not exactly like everyone else, and focus all your energy into making the most of YOUR superpower. Yeah, you’ve got one, If you think you don’t, some more exploring is in order.

Linda Walker empowers entrepreneurs, artists, authors, adults with ADHD and other creative geniuses to unleash their superpowers.  You’ll really kick butt once you break free of everyone else’s rules. Discover 10 misconceptions that are putting the brakes on your performance at www.productivitymythsbusted.com.

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