When you’re living with ADHD (in yourself or a loved one), every day can feel like a struggle. And when you find something that works to make everyday life run just a little bit smoother, that one tip can be a lifesaver! And if that tip was shared with you by someone else, you feel eternally grateful for their time and generosity. Over the next two blog posts, I’m going to talk about 3 ways you can pay it forward, and bring a little bit of happiness to the lives of others with ADHD.

The impact on siblings of children with ADHD is not often talked about, yet it is an important discussion to have in order to create healthy and functioning families. Studies show that siblings of children with ADHD experience the same disruption, chaos, unpredictability and exhaustion as their parents. At times, they may even feel victimized, unprotected and powerless, particularly when faced with expectations to “take care” of their siblings. A healthy family considers everyone’s needs. Here are some tips for parents to help minimize the effect of their ADHD child on other siblings in the family:

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." ~ Thomas Alva Edison Having lived most of their lives with the inconsistency, unpredictability and undependability of life with ADHD, it is incredibly common for adults with ADHD to view themselves as “failures”.  Because the executive function of their brain is not always fully activated, it is in fact normal for them to fail at least sometimes, if not frequently.  Beginning in early adolescence, these typical failures can become a permanent obstacle to future successes for those with ADHD as it undermines their confidence and willingness to take future chances.

ADHD affects conservatively about 5-8% of the world’s population. With the world’s population being around 7 billion…that’s a lot of people struggling with inattention, impulsivity or distractibility! Since math has never been my best academic subject, comprehending such a number has always been a bit hard for me. I guess it means that if I’m sitting in a room of 30 people, at least two or three of those people have a creative, overly active, easily distractible brain just like mine. Or when my child struggles in school, I know I am not alone, because approximately 200 other students/families are struggling with the same academic, homework, discipline and family chaos that me, my child and my family are experiencing.

A lot of the holidays are not very ADD-friendly. It seems there are more deadlines to be met, expectations to reach, and a lot more chaos to filter out. Even still, there are many things I truly enjoy about the holidays and really fit with my spontaneous, live in the moment, out of the box thinking ADHD brain style.

As an ADHD Life Coach, I get to meet the most amazing people.  Last week, I went to the annual CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder)  conference for ADHD in Orlando.  Just imagine 1000 plus people with ADHD together in Disneyworld!   Each with such awesome qualities as creativity, resourcefulness, charm, perseverance, intelligence, able to talk a lot, good problem solvers,

This week, I want to share a poem with you that was sent to me by a client. Although she and I have been working together for only a short time, she has learned so much and is changing her life. It is truly an honor and privilege to help her finally understand her ADHD brain style, begin to feel more in control of the chaos, experience confidence and finally get things done. My client is an outstanding individual who has struggled all her life with ADHD and didn’t realize why she felt so different and out of place. She is an intelligent, creative and determined woman who would not give up trying to find the answers to her challenges and as an adult with ADHD, is just now coming out of her shell to experience her own potential, gifts and strengths.

Two significant things have happened to me in this last year. I turned 50 and I began working with my own business/life coach. Both have me thinking more about where I am in my life and my work. What I want to change…what I am satisfied with. Up until about six months ago I had been fairly content with how I was serving the ADHD community. I had been specializing in working with people with ADHD for nearly nine years, I had established a good reputation, had steady referrals and was contributing to ADHD awareness in many ways. However, I had a gnawing feeling it wasn’t enough. There was more I could do…more people who I could reach and serve. But how? About six months ago, I attended a conference where I met and committed to working with my new business coach… for an entire year! I wasn’t sure how I was going to pay for the coaching, or if I even had the time or energy needed to do so. However, I wanted to increase my ability to serve the ADHD community, and just “knew” the coaching program was the right choice to do that.

“This week has been crazy!  But, I accomplished my most important goal!  I filed my tax return! Well, I filed my already extended tax return. I even get money back.  I wish I had known that before. Oh well.  I made an appointment with the accountant on Friday so I had a firm deadline and was sure to have enough time this week to get them done.  All I had left was to finish up the last two months of 2010 and they would be complete…better late than never…it should have taken me only a few hours.”

Next week, October 16-22, 2011 is ADHD Awareness Week here in the United States. For those of us living with ADHD, care about someone with ADHD or work with people who have ADHD, this is a huge deal!