Thoughts on Life, Excellence, ADHD, & Random Stuff

Living with ADHD

If you know anyone with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), you know that they tend to get distracted easily, right?  You may have even heard someone tease, “So I was working on this project the other day, and……..oh look, a squirrel!”   Or maybe, “We were having this awesome conversation about saving humani…….wow, look at the shiny ring!” 

So I mentioned on Facebook that I needed a title for my new blog, and a dental colleague suggested a title along those lines, and I liked it!  Just the right mix of serious and funny, as well as being a perfect illustration of what life as a person with ADD can be like.  And while this is not intended to be a blog about ADD, given that being ADD is an underlying and impossible-to-escape theme in my life, it seemed appropriate to put it in the title.  Sure, I’ll talk about serious stuff like the Universe, God, the Meaning of Life (if you don’t know the answer to that question yet, it’s 42, ok?), quantum physics, Photoshop, and other deep topics, but if you just ask my almost-7-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, she’ll tell you I’m just a big goofball and big kid at heart.

ADD & The Struggle with Discipline, Mindfulness & Excellence

About a month ago, I wrote to a long-time colleague, friend, and mentor that “I’d lost my mojo for dentistry.”   At the time, I was feeling very complacent, and was reminded of a quote (paraphrased since I can’t find it)

There is nothing so dangerous as a man who has just achieved his goals.

Essentially, life was good!  We’d just moved into our dream home, cut our commute time in 1/2, business was good, family life was good…..what more could you want, right?  And yet, I felt totally unmotivated to go to work, which was very unusual, because I really love my job!

Fortunately for me, 2 things happened that snapped me out of it pretty quickly:

1. My friend told me: “Bitch Slappin Miguel answer: Quit your whining…rub some dirt on it; f******g enjoy your awesome life and quit your bitchin’.”  I’ve always liked his honesty personally.  🙂
2. The first assignment I received from the Sifu at The Peaceful Dragon was to read The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Naht Han, which is really about HOW to actually live in the moment.

The combination of a good virtual slap upside the head, plus a reminder that it doesn’t matter what we’re doing, necessarily, as long as we are doing it to the fullest and experiencing it to the max, seemed to set my head right again.  And with those 2 most excellent reminders, I have set myself one overriding goal, which will then be applied to every area of my life:

To live every day in Mindfulness, Discipline, & Excellence

Of course, doing this is much easier said than done, especially with ADD!  And while I do have a personal journal, this blog will be a more public journey.  As others have helped me by sharing their stories, perhaps by sharing mine in a way that is relatable, I can help others to dream big, change failing ways to successful ways, and live a fuller life – whatever that may mean to you.  After all, I’m NOT claiming that “my way is right and other ways are wrong; ” this is simply my story.

So where did that squirrel go again?

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