It’s a sad day when a perfectly healthy adult with more interests and hobbies than s/he can handle thinks they have ADHD. Granted ADHD is a real problem for some people, but it’s been used far too liberally by regular people and professionals alike.
In a society that values specialists, it’s very easy to get caught up in the notion that something’s wrong with you. Even with Gen Y’s obsessive job hoping and the rise of slash careers, there’s still a lot of pressure to limit branding yourself as an expert in one or two (or three, if you’re ambitious) fields. By comparison, you probably think you’re a freak for having more than ten interests that have absolutely nothing to do with each other.
Well, I’m here to tell you that you’ve got it all wrong.
You’re a modern-day Leonardo da Vinci, you just don’t know it yet
Leonardo da Vinci is the ultimate example of someone who had his cake and ate it, too. He didn’t limit himself to one field. Even better he found ways to make completely different fields come together.
Great guy, but honestly, he’s not much better than you are. The only difference between you and him is that he was fortunate to live in a time where his grade of curiosity was valued.
There’s a word for modern-day da Vincis. I didn’t realize it until I read “Refuse to Choose” by Barbara Sher (a book I highly recommend, by the way). Barbara calls these people Scanners. I hate labels, since I find them to be limiting. To my surprise, I’ve never felt so liberated by a label before.
It’s like discovering the name to a life-long illness you swear you have after spending years going from doctor to doctor and being told it’s all in your mind. Except this time you’re being told you need a cure when you aren’t sick in the first place!
Scanner is a great label, because I get it. And other Scanners get it. But to everyone else, I just tell them I have “Fake ADHD.” With a mysterious twinkle in my eye, of course. They probably still think I’m crazy, but this time I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt (not the other way around).
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of having “Fake ADHD”
Everything has its pros and cons. Having a gazillion interests is no exception.
The bad news is it’s still pretty hard to pursue every single interest you have at the same time. For one, the human brain is just not wired to multitask. Secondly, even as modern day society has once again become more accepting towards Scanners, there is still a lot of pressure to “stop slacking off, pick something, and get a real job.” Lastly, it can be difficult to find an arrangement that meets your basic needs if you jump from interest to interest aimlessly.
The good news? Despite all of that, you can still have your cake and eat it too. You can still dabble in everything you’re interested in even if it’s not all at the same time. Chances are, you’re not really looking for a deep understanding of every single interest you have.
You also don’t have to care about what other people think. You may even have to re-evaluate your own preconceived notions of how you think you should live.
Sometimes the problem is one of time management. As someone who regularly bites off more than I can chew, time management is an issue for me. But now I’m convinced that the number of interests I have is not the problem. The problem is that I’ve spent most of my life mastering procrastination and letting myself get unnecessarily overwhelmed.
When in Rome do as Romans do
“Refuse to Choose” briefly addresses limiting thought patterns, poor time management, the feelings of exasperation. But even better, the author suggests many techniques to optimize your “Fake ADHD” tendencies.
It’s like this: if you’re a modern-day da Vinci, do as da Vinci does.
One of the many suggestions I liked in the book is to have a large journal with unlined pages. In the journal, you can write down or even draw any ideas that come up, just like da Vinci did. The journal doesn’t have to have any specific order or format. You can make it as elaborate or as simple as you choose. You can glue anything you want to it or carry it everywhere you go.
The purpose is to have a place to respect your ideas, remember your interests, and give you inspiration to act on them. You could even find patterns or seemingly impossible connections if you stick with it long enough.
So, what does all this have to do with personal development?
In case you haven’t figured that out by now, it really has everything to do with personal development. One thing that I advocate a lot is that perfection is not a static state. You’re already perfect, even as you change and grow.
To me, personal development isn’t about getting as close to perfect as I can get. It’s about realizing I’m already there and that I’m free to explore different definitions of perfect.
One thing I’ve always struggled with (and I’m sure you have, too) is finding that one passion or picking that one field, so I can finally settle down and “grow up.” Because that’s what I was told I had to do. What I failed to understand is that I’m not limited to one passion or one field. I thought I had to fit into a square peg, when I’m really a cylinder. I also failed to understand is that life is not meant to be a linear path. It’s littered with back roads, detours, and unexpected challenges.
Why not explore as many of those roads as you can? It’s your birthright. Don’t let society fool you into thinking there’s a pill (in the literal or figurative sense) for “Fake ADHD.” Because there isn’t.
**If you’re new here and enjoyed this post, be sure to subscribe for future posts and updates. And feel free to share this post … I’d really appreciate it! Don’t forget to introduce yourself in the comments. Don’t be shy … I don’t bite. 
You can also add me on Twitter (@valeriemondesir).**
Related posts:
- You don’t need permission to not “finish” what you start
- Pancakes and applesauce: why I’ve been drained of energy (and why you should care)
- Perfection does exist, but not the way we think of it
- Why placebos are good – and why we’re all liars and thieves, to boot.
- Who are you when you are nothing? (Thoughts on finding “purpose”)
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey, I’m Mac. I got to your site through my brother. His blog is this:
http://tomaszgorecki.com/blog/2009/09/24/solve-one-problem-but-create-others/#comments
Anyways, I really enjoyed your post. You write about things I am writing about.
With ADHD or ADD, there is a growing number of this illness due to the intake of current food and drink. (If you want to call chemicals and additives food) While that being the side issue, the real thing is that people get diagnosed with this and think they are not capable of doing things.
They see themselves as incapable of doing certain things that others can do. The bigger problem is that people accept it. “Why didn’t you do ____?”….”Because I have ADD/ADHD.”…”Oh ok, I’m so sorry”
it is acceptable to have this and do nothing, just like it is acceptable to have thousands in debt vs a $1k/month income.
I think you need to explain more on da Vinci. He developed both parts of his brain. (Left and Right)
I think we are all perfect we just need to understand how we are perfect. Your perfect for something, you just need to figure out what.
I think people look at someone like da Vinci and think they can’t be like them because da Vinci did so great things.
The problem is that the majority of peoples’ opinions, likes and concepts of how life is, is the one accepted.
The great men and women of the past where always alone in their greatness. They was always mass support against them.
But that is why people must take responsibility for their lives, and not look around but look within.
Great Post
Mac
I used to go through a similar dilemma myself. I always loved to write, read, and play instruments, but my “work” was always logic based, while a majority of my hobbies were creative based. At work I was expected to use my left-brain (logic side) and at home I constantly wanted to use my right side (creative) which constantly created a conflict of interest for me. I was told I needed to be one or the other….
….except that just wasn’t me. Just because most people get pigeonholed in one category or the other, why should I suffer those same consequences? Who’s to say I can’t excel with both sides of my brain? It’s because of that that I always have a laugh when I see people try and label me. They can’t really square me into one stereotype; it just doesn’t work.
That being said, I enjoy being unique and I enjoy the fact that I’m not stuck on one side of the fence. I can explore whatever thoughts or ideas cross my mind and never feel like I “have” to react a certain way.
Travis´s last blog ..Giving Up Junk Food
Hi Mac,
Thanks for stopping by here!
I remember Tom’s blog… didn’t know he had a brother
While I don’t believe that people are born smarter than others, I do think that some people are more naturally curious than others (like Leonardo da Vinci, who was curious enough to develop both sides of his brain). I also think this is good news for everyone because it means that curiosity and thus using both sides of the brain is possible for anyone who wants it. This is why it’s important not to idolize people like da Vinci, because it creates self-limitations.
Hi Travis,
I think modern day society has compartmentalized everything so that people like you and I don’t feel like we quite fit in. Fortunately, that’s an illusion because we don’t need permission to be ourselves.
Welcome and thanks for commenting!
Of course, I can totally relate to what you’re saying since I wrote this post.
You know what’s funny though? Once I realized that I can’t just choose one thing and that this was okay, the more interested I started getting in even more things. It’s as if the floodgates opened. Do you have that problem?
Hi Valerie, I believe it is possible to do many things only if you do them one at a time and eliminate all the clutter from your life. I am trying (as you know) to experiment this with myself. Thanks for writing. Stumbled!
Oscar
Oscar – freestyle mind´s last blog ..I’m Joining the Power of Less
Haha, believe me, I have that problem MORE than you know.
Like you, as soon as I realized I wasn’t stuck in one category, I felt like I wanted to take on the entire world. It’s a good feeling though; feeling like a true individual instead of having to “classify” yourself.
Travis´s last blog ..Giving Up Junk Food
@ Travis: Good feeling, it is. The sky really is the limit now!
@ Oscar: You’re right because I know I suck at multitasking. I tend to jump from thing to thing. For instance, read a book for 30 minutes, then write something for 30 minutes, then research for 30 minutes, you get my point. It’s like have very little attention span and must change what I’m doing frequently. Just like when you go on Wikipedia and you go from link to link to link. Next thing you know you are far from the very page you were initially looking at.
I’m trying to do a more rigid block scheduling, that hasn’t been going too well. I just got ahold of the GTD book … so we’ll see.
Thanks for the comment and the Stumble! Hope you have a good night, but I’m sure it’s almost morning where you are by now.
I agree 100%, and this is coming from someone who has ADD (not the ‘H’, though). I’ve struggled with it since I was a kid, and only in the last year or so actually did anything about it (medication and lifestyle adjustment). Too many folks use it as an excuse not to give a shit, which clearly isn’t the point. For me, it was I lost the ability to concentrate on things I actually WANTED to, and towards the end I lost the ability to read anything for longer than 5 mins. Not a fun way to be.
Norcross´s last blog ..Even Someone At Fox News Knows
@ Norcross: Hey there and welcome!
I’ve always wondered about the increasing rate of ADD and ADHD diagnoses. I know it’s a real problem, and you’re an example of that, but I also feel like the problem is too many kids being cooped up in the house in front of the TV and spending way too many hours in high structured school environments. Some children are obviously going to be more highly active than others… it doesn’t make them worse than children who are content to relax inside all day.
Thanks for your comment!
Hello from Russia!
Can I quote a post in your blog with the link to you?
{ 1 trackback }