When I was 18, I was diagnosed with ADD.

I have always questioned the validity of ADD and when people tell me they have it, I can’t help but roll my eyes. I mean, how is it possible that within the last 20 years, millions and millions of people suddenly have an attention disorder?

It seems more reasonable to me that we are living in a culture that is polluted with distraction and anxiety.

I’m not here to judge.

I’m not a doctor and I’m 100% sure there are people out there who have real chemical imbalances and are taking medication properly and seeing great benefits from it.

With that said, I can also say with absolute certainty that I’ve struggled with this my entire life. It’s always been a challenge for me to stay on task.

School was a DISASTER for me. Every single day was filled with angst and restlessness. I could never pay attention and all I wanted to do was get out.

Eventually, my parents took me to a therapist and ultimately, I was prescribed Adderall.

Adderall worked wonders for me. It was like a miracle. Adderall allowed to zero in on one thing as opposed to my mind running wild with ideas and fears and uncertainties.

The problem was that I would inevitably start snorting it and mixing my Adderall with OxyContin and Klonopins and coke and washing it down with Southern Comfort. Needless to say, I don’t have the luxury of taking Adderall anymore.

I’ve learned to adjust and adapt. My solution has been to find things that I love to do.

For some reason, if I participate in things that I find intellectually stimulating, I can focus for hours.

I can spend hours writing a blog post and never come up for air
I can read a graphic novel series for 3 straight days
I can do endless research for keyword data and market data and formulate well articulated and well written business plans
I can build highly detailed and high level systems that create maximum efficiency and workflow for companies

I can accomplish anything that I am able to obsess over.

I’ve learned to stick to doing the things that I am good at so that I can avoid the feeling of inadequacy that comes with trying to do things that I suck at.

Although this sounds good in practice, there will inevitably come a time that I need to do things that I am not good at or that I don’t want to do. I can’t pass everything off to other people. Sometimes, I need to buckle down and get the job done.

This is going to be a big priority for me in 2021. I’m about to have a kid and staying on task, staying focused on what’s in front of me, and accomplishing work that is task oriented will play an important role in my success as a Dad and as a professional.

I want to do better. This has always been a weakness for me and I want to do a better job. I want to be more valuable for JourneyPure, to my family, and to my team.

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Getting Better at Focusing and Task Oriented…