Archive for March, 2010

Endurance is fueled by answering one question. What am I fighting for?

In 1980, the USA hockey team did the unthinkable, they defeated the Soviet Union in the Olympics. Coach Herb Brooks told his team that defeating the Russians would not be easy; He said, “Be prepared to grow through pain.” They endured the pain and the payoff was a gold medal. To reach any goal we must be prepared to grow through pain!

As you try and accomplish the goals set before you each day there will always be struggles trying to derail you from staying the course. Choose to ENDURE and the challenges that confront you will become opportunities to grow and become a better you. Never quit!

I found a great quote from Mary Anne Radmacher, to cap off this weeks thought 4 the day and the theme of trying.
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.”

The other day I took my family out to our favorite Mexican restaurant (El Rodeo Rocks!). My 5 year old noticed something on my plate that she had never eaten before. She asked, “Daddy, do you think I’ll like that?” I told her that we wouldn’t know until she gave it a try. She picked it up and took the smallest bite known to man, smiled, and then said, “Yum”. People with ADHD often have a tendency to bite off more than they can chew. Remember to take small steps as you try new things. Meantime, at the same meal, my 3 year old who had never tried a lemon before, went the other direction. Instead of a small bite she went in for the kill! Let’s just say, NOT GOOD!

There was a woman who wanted to try and overcome her fear of heights, so she invited 300 of her closest friends to the tallest bridge in town. Attached to a bungee cord for three hours she stood on the edge of the bridge staring down her fear. Her friends cheered her on the entire three hours until she finally leaped off the bridge.
Often the one thing standing between us and overcoming our fear is pride. We don’t want to ask for help. We feel like we need to do it all alone, but it’s amazing how encouragement can fuel our passion to be better and reach higher. When they finally pulled the woman up from her jump, she was overheard saying, “Can I do that again?!”

What prevents us from trying? Try these on for size: fear of failure, what others might think, laziness, lack of focus, distractions, procrastination, and that shiny thing in the corner of the room. Once we identify what’s holding us up we may need to add one more ingredient to the mix, a cheerleader! Find someone who you would consider to be your fan. Share with them your goal, seek their encouragement and then…go for the gold!!

The word TRY is the biggest little word in the English language. Being only three letters long one would think it to be insignificant, but it has great significance for a person with ADHD. Until that person wants to try and then begins to try, they will never begin to move forward. When we fail to try to overcome we end up being overcome. People with ADHD were never meant to hoist a white flag.

En·cour·age·ment –noun- praise, support, boost, lift. To be an encouragement to someone takes effort, especially when that someone has ADHD. It can be hard to find the positives when the negatives seem so glaring. Be deliberate and look for positives in the midst of the negatives. Be in the build-them-up business. Your effort can make a difference!

You can sit here and continue to do nothing or, together, we can overcome this thing,” my teacher said the same day she asked me to“snap out it”. It was her offer to work beside me that gave me the greatest encouragement and motivation to begin trying. I have learned a person with ADHD who is willing to try, can accomplish anything. Trying is half the battle!