Learned Helplessness

After a lifetime of things not working out as well as they should, it's easy to expect the worst on your next attempt. As a result, many adults with ADHD won't try their best since it doesn't seem worth the extra effort. As much as this kind of makes sense before realizing that ADHD was the unidentified trip wire, getting diagnosed completely changes the odds of success. By addressing those ADHD deficits explicitly and effectively, you're much more likely to be successful.

There are two lessons in this. First, make understanding and treating your ADHD a part-time job, at least until you mostly get on top of it.Work at it.You owe it to yourself. Second, remember that the better you do with your ADHD, the more likely you are to be successful with your next endeavor. The odds are starting to move in your favor. Maybe some of your prior challenges are worth attempting again. You might even want to stretch yourself and try some things that you never before had the guts to. If you do fall short, look at it as a learning experience, something to learn from and do better the next time. This mindset of getting back on the horse is crucial to progress. See Failures Lead to Successes (and Better Self-Esteem) on p. 217 for more on this key component of resiliency.

Impulsively Rushing

Some people with ADHD impulsively rush through boring, difficult, or burdensome tasks in order to get done as quickly as possible to minimize their suffering. Of course, this makes mistakes much more likely and leads to a worse final product. The problem is that these self-fulfilling prophecies undercut any chance of a better life. No one likes dragging out the suffering, but there may be a balance to strike where you spend at least a little longer in order to increase the chances of getting a better result.You may need to evaluate the situation and decide whether it's worth the extra effort-some are, some aren't.The trick is figuring out which make the cut and then pushing yourself to make the most of them. As with learned helpless, some of these tasks may be less awful and more likely to be successful once your ADHD is treated.

Ari Tuckman PhD. More Attention, Less Deficit: Success Strategies for Adults with ADHD (Kindle Locations 3199-3211). Kindle Edition.