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.

Lost and Found

My household is full of folks who could lose their heads if they weren't attached.  Here're a few examples.  Our daughter constantly loses thing: her scissors, her crayons, the microscopic clothes for Barbie, and most recently her SHOES!  My husband is slightly better: he only occasionally loses his cell phone, keys, or WEDDING RING.  Lest you think I'm singling them out, I've been know to lose the glasses on my face and even the baby's pacifier in my hand.  Aren't we a motley crew?

Thankfully, I read some great tips in ADDitude Magazine and realized I'm not crazy (or even unusual) in the ADD community.  Losing things just goes with the territory.  But the article had some great tips about how to make life easier for yourself such as:

• Give everything it's own specific place.  (For me, if I don't drop my keys in the basket by the door or plug my cell phone in on my nightstand, I'll spend 15 minutes the next morning looking for them).
• Use the trash can liberally.  (How can you find the important stuff if it's buried beneath a bunch of junk?)
• Ask for help.  (Clearly my family is ADD-challenged when it comes to finding things.  A system is only great if everyone's on board.  And when things go MIA -- and they surely will -- recruit everyone for your search party.)

Two Birds with One Stone

Some might call me lazy, but I prefer to think of myself as conserving energy. Why do more than is absolutely necessary, right?  That's called working smarter, not harder!  Well, when it comes to accessorizing, I want items that are multipurpose.  Why have 5 purses for work, 4 for the weekend, and 3 more for evenings?

Enter one of my best sellers since starting my Thirty-One business: The Fitted Skirt Purse.  This is one time that having multiple personalities is an asset!  One purse plus multiple skirts solves all kinds of problems:

• It saves time from not having to transfer everything from one bag to another.
• It saves headaches from not remembering which purse contains an important item that was left inside the last time you used the bag.
• It rewards you with multiple looks without the high cost.  Plus you don't need as much space for storage since the skirts store flat.
• The skirts are easy to personalize to create your own unique look.

Purchase Here


This is a great time to by The Fitted Skirt Purse, additional skirts, or any of Thirty-One's great handbags.  As I mentioned last week, March's customer special is for every $31 you spend, you can buy any purse (or skirt) for 50% off!  That means if you buy:

• A Coin Purse Wallet for $35, you can get a Fitted Skirt Purse for only $21! 
• Or, a Mini Zipper Pouch for $10 plus $6 for embroidery, a Mirror Compact for $10, and a Wristlet Key Fob for $5 to get your Fitted Skirt Purse for only $21! 

There are just so many ways to take advantage of this month's great deal!

Encouraging Others, Rewarding Yourself

Thirty-One is all about Celebrating, Encouraging and Rewarding Women. The special for March is for every $31 you spend, you get one purse for 1/2 off!  This month's special on purses makes it a great time to freshen up your purse wardrobe with great Spring colors and patterns. And why not let your good fortune benefit others too?

This month I'd like to encourage disadvantaged ladies by donating gently used professional-looking purses, totes, attachés, briefcases, and scarves to Dress for Success (http://www.dressforsuccess.org/).  The mission of Dress for Success is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.

For each item donated, you'll receive an entry into a drawing on March 31st.  If you don't see me on a regular basis, feel free to call me (301-919-1787) or email me (KimSells31@gmail.com), and I'd be happy to arrange a day and time to pick up your donations.

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