Entrepreneurship and ADHD
Are the emotions you’re experiencing & the thoughts you’re thinking yours? Or from someone else? So much of what we hold is not even ours. We can pick up the energy, emotions, and projections of other people and claim them as our own. To detangle what is ours and what is from others is an opportunity to build on our intuitive muscle and to trust yourself.
You may have had a conversation with a friend or loved one where you entered the conversation with enthusiasm, with your own set of emotions and thoughts. Maybe during that conversation, you were met with judgement, doubt, or the person projected onto you how they were feeling. After that conversation you found yourself no longer feeling your original enthusiasm and your emotions on the matter changed. You may have taken on the messages, emotions, and energy of that person. This can happen through the exchange of words, through an energetic exchange, or valuing the other persons judgment and opinion over your own.
Let’s say the person you spoke with doesn’t agree with a decision you are making but you’re excited about the decision and feel aligned to it. You may start to question yourself after the person you’re speaking to doubts your decision. Perhaps for this person the decision you are presenting to them they could never imagine themselves doing so they are speaking to you from that perspective. They are projecting onto you, and you may start to take on the thought process of that person.
You may receive what they are saying as the truth especially if you don’t trust your own judgment.
Society also plays a huge part in the expectations and judgments we place on ourselves. Practice coming back to what YOU are feeling. This is truly a practice. If we have not been taught to trust yourself but have been taught to outsource your decisions this is an opportunity to build that intuitive muscle. How do I feel? What do I think? Take what might feel like a risk and trust your own intuitive judgment. You have infinite wisdom within you and your intuition is your compass. Come back to yourself. The more you practice this and listen to your body and intuition the clearer it will become.
Defining Hyperactivity
Hyperactivity can present itself in SO many ways that are often not talked about. It much more than not being able to sit still in a chair or talking too much. Hyperactivity can be internalized, such as mental chatter or a very active mind.
If you can avoid getting bogged down with mundane tasks and leave plenty of space for your mind to wander, you’ll be led to brilliant new ideas, innovations, and a flow of creativity!! This is so important if you’re on the path of entrepreneurship. The ‘symptom’ of hyperactivity also gives way to the ability to hyper-focus, especially when you feel excited about what you’re working on. Your capacity and ability to hold a heavy workload is unmatched.
You can probably remember a time, when you worked around the clock, maybe even forgetting to eat, because you were so focused and excited about what you were working on. This tenacity is what will make you the perfect entrepreneur. Attention Deficit, or Inattentiveness, might be the most frustrating symptom of ADHD to deal with, until you learn how to work with it.
I would recommend having systems in place to handle the things you would typically put off. If you’re not in a place to outsource just yet, tasks like Bookkeeping, Invoicing, and administrative work will get done, but it can feel daunting. On the contrary, you probably enjoy multi-tasking or taking on a variety of projects at one time. You wouldn’t mind filling the shoes of multiple roles, such as Marketing, Sales, and Training as long as all of those roles were exciting to you. The ability to wear multiple hats is crucial in owning a business.
Impulsivity
Impulsivity is the fun characteristic of ADHD. While it may have gotten you in trouble once or twice, this is the reason you will THRIVE as an entrepreneur. This presents itself as the need for new and exciting stimulation and the willingness to take risks. If you see a window of opportunity, you’re going to take it. Your decisions don’t always make sense to others, but you follow your gut and its usually to your benefit. This is Entrepreneurship in a nutshell! You are action oriented and willing to pave the way or “go first”. It is no coincidence that those with ADHD are often the best problem solvers, because they are quick thinking and thrive under pressure. Can you think of a time you were in a relatively dangerous situation and felt eerily calm? Most ADHDers will find comfort in the chaos. Owning a business can feel chaotic at times but this level of sensibility and resilience will be the reason you push on to be successful when most would give up!
The founder of JetBlue Airlines, David Neeleman told ADDitude Magazine, “If someone told me you could be normal or you could continue with your ADD (the original name for ADHD), I would take the ADD. I can distill complicated facts and come up with simple solutions. I can look out on an industry with all kinds of problems and say ‘How can I do this better?’ My ADD brain naturally searches for a better way of doing things.” He’s joined by Richard Branson (the founder of VIRGIN) and Ingvar Kamprad (founder of IKEA) in publicly attributing part of their massive success to their ADHD brains.
It is no secret that ADHD can be difficult to manage, but there are a few simple things you can do to increase your natural dopamine production and decrease the negative symptoms of ADHD. For me, meditation, regular exercise, and getting enough sleep work wonders! There are also studies that show foods high in amino acids will benefit the production of dopamine. A solid wellness routine coupled with the proper structures and support can set you up for massive success as an entrepreneur. I truly believe that your symptoms can be your strengths and the characteristics of ADHD are your superpowers! Entrepreneurship and ADHD can work hand in hand together.