Accentuate the Positive

No one enjoys hearing a laundry-list of their shortcomings. Yet most websites and books I've encountered as a newly-diagnosed adult ADDer take the approach of, "Hey, it sucks to be you. So sad. Here's some ideas for how you can try to be more like 'normal' folks.'  But don't get your hopes up."  Yeah.

So it was refreshing to encounter the book Delivered from Distraction: Getting the Most out of Life with Attention Deficit Disorder by Drs. Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey.  They treat ADD less as a disorder and more as a type of brain with both benefits and disadvantages.  Here's their "Seven Habits if Highly Effective ADD Adults" (p. 37):

1. Do what you're good at. Don't spend too much time trying to get good at what you're bad at. (You did enough of that in school.)
2. Delegate what you're bad at to others as often as possible.
3. Connect your energy to a creative outlet.
4. Get well enough organized to achieve your goals. The key her is "well enough." That doesn't mean you have to be very well organized at all -- just well enough organized to achieve your goals.
5. Ask for and heed advice from people you trust -- and ignore, as best you can, the dream-breakers and finger-waggers.
6. Make sure you keep up regular contact with a few close friends.
7. Go with your positive side. Even though you have a negative side, make decisions and run your life with your positive side.

Pretty good advice for anyone if you ask me.