If you're listening to this,
You already know that your brain works differently.
You move fast.
Your ideas come in waves.
You thrive in chaos.
You solve problems in ways that others cannot.
And when something ignites your passion,
You can go all in with an intensity that most people don't understand.
And yet,
There are also the struggles.
The moments of feeling scattered.
Of feeling overwhelmed.
The unfinished tasks.
The lost keys.
The restless energy that pulls you away from being present with your children.
With your partner.
With your teams.
The frustration of knowing your potential but feeling like something keeps slipping through your fingers.
If that sounds familiar,
I want you to hear this.
You are not broken.
Your brain isn't flawed.
It adapted this way for a reason.
The way you think.
The way you process the world.
It's not a disorder.
It's a response.
It's a survival mechanism shaped by your earliest experiences.
So let's unpack that a little bit here.
The way I've come to see it is that the mind of an entrepreneur,
A leader,
And definitely a creator,
Is often rooted deep in an unconventional past.
And for many,
ADHD is less about a genetic trait and more about how the brain learned to operate under stress,
Particularly in the developmental years.
So think back to your childhood.
Were you constantly scanning your environment?
Sensing emotions?
Picking up on tensions before anyone even said a word?
Particularly in your family dynamic.
Were you restless?
Always seeking stimulation?
Always moving?
Did you find it easier to hyper focus on something that was really exciting rather than sit still and follow the rules?
What if I told you that these patterns weren't random?
That your brain from an early age was wired for survival?
For many people,
Myself included,
Constant motion,
Rapid thinking,
And a hunger for stimulation weren't just quirks.
They were adaptations.
Ways to navigate uncertainty,
Unpredictability,
Or environments where stillness meant discomfort.
Now as an adult,
Those same traits,
That's what's made you a powerful leader,
And I would say a visionary.
Someone who thrives in uncertainty.
Who can see possibilities where others see obstacles.
And I see this time and time again with true visionary leaders that are running some of the most successful companies in the world.
They're able to see possibilities where others see challenges.
They're able to really step into a growth mindset.
But they also make certain aspects of life,
And I'm talking about structure,
Consistency,
Emotional regulation,
Far more challenging.
So here's the key that I want to go a little bit deeper on today.
What helped you survive is not necessarily what helps you thrive.
What helped you survive is not necessarily what helps you thrive.
You don't need to fight your brain.
You just need to work with it.
And this is challenging,
And I want to unpack this a little bit more.
This is particularly challenging in a culture that doesn't necessarily make it easy.
So here's how to do it.
The first step is to protect your dopamine like your business depends on it,
Because it does.
Dopamine isn't just a neurotransmitter.
It's your fuel.
It's what drives motivation,
Focus,
Creativity.
But if you don't protect it,
You'll burn out fast.
So reduce decision fatigue.
You guys remember how Steve Jobs used to wear the same outfit every day?
That was because he was reducing decision fatigue.
And he was also adopted,
Which is often a clear marker for one who develops an ADHD brain.
The more choices you make in a day,
The harder it is to focus.
So simplify where you can wear similar clothes.
Automate meals.
Delegate smaller tasks as much as you can.
Pair boring tasks with something exciting.
If administrative work drains you,
Do it while listening to music,
While walking,
Or in a dynamic environment if you can't delegate it to someone else.
And this one really hits home for me and definitely with our kids.
Be ruthless with digital distractions.
Doom scrolling.
Scrolling gives you a quick dopamine hit.
That's why a lot of these tech companies are so successful.
It gives you a quick dopamine hit,
But it drains long-term focus.
So go ahead and set clear phone boundaries.
Protect your dopamine.
The second is to master the art of momentum.
ADHD isn't about a lack of focus.
It's about regulating focus.
If you can create momentum,
You become unstoppable.
So use sprints instead of marathons.
Consider working in 25 to 45 minute deep focus sprints,
Followed by movement breaks.
If you come into my office,
What you'll see right behind this microphone,
I have a pull-up bar,
I have a punching bag,
I have a trampoline,
I have a vibrating plate,
I have a sauna,
And yes,
I have a cold plunge.
All of these are things that I'm able to do between my focus sprint sessions.
Make priorities visible.
ADHD brains forget what they can't see.
So write your top three tasks where you can see them.
I use an app or a piece of software called Trello.
That's what I use.
If you're a post-it kind of person,
Go ahead with that.
Use environment shifts.
If you feel stuck,
Change your location.
Step outside,
Switch rooms,
Take a short walk.
And I want to be clear and say that I know that this might make you look like the weird one in your office if you're working in an office environment.
And that level of discomfort,
That could feel really uncomfortable.
And that's something to really press into.
That is a shadow to be able to really grow into so you can molt that old way of being.
And once you grow more comfortable standing out,
You're able to really honor your own system.
So the third step I want to talk about today is to heal the pattern of restlessness by cultivating true presence.
This one is a bit challenging.
So here's a hard truth.
If you grew up in an environment where stillness felt unsafe,
Which was absolutely my childhood,
And this what I mean by that is emotions were unpredictable.
Love felt conditional.
Well if that's the case for you,
Then as an adult slowing down may feel unnatural because it feels unsafe.
Even though logically you crave peace,
You crave the comfort of calm freedom,
Something in you equates this with discomfort.
And this is why so many entrepreneurs that I've gotten to know struggle with being fully present,
Especially with their families.
So create a gear shift between work and home.
Before stepping into family time,
Take five minutes to reset.
If you work from home,
That could be a breathing practice,
A stretching practice,
Or changing your clothes and going out for a walk.
Do something small that marks this transition,
Even if it's driving around your neighborhood.
There needs to be an element of transition to help you gear shift.
Make your home a sanctuary,
Not just an extension of your work.
You need to have clear spaces that delineate where business doesn't intrude.
So that means no phones at the dinner table,
No emails in bed.
And you need to train yourself to be fully in the moment.
And this takes practice.
It's just like going to the gym.
There's a mental gym that you go to.
This could be on the meditation pillow.
It could be a yoga practice.
Whatever cultivates stillness within you.
If you find your mind drifting during time with your kids in particular,
Practice gently bringing it back.
And it can be as simple as just saying,
Oh,
My presence was gone.
I was thinking about something,
And now I'm back here in the moment.
What I often find really helpful is to add some sort of physical anchoring.
And that could be just tapping my belly,
Or it could be pressing my feet into the ground and taking a deep breath,
Which signals to me I became aware that my mind was slipping,
And I'm bringing my focus back now to the moment,
Bringing it back.
The real magic isn't in how much time you spend with your kids.
It's in how present you are when you do.
They can feel that.
ADHD is not your enemy.
It is your edge,
And it's a superpower.
And yes,
Your brain works differently.
But different is exactly what the world needs right now,
Perhaps more than ever.
Your ability to think in possibilities instead of limitations.
Your natural instinct to take action before others even finish their thoughts.
Your ability to be able to make massive connections when others don't even know what the next step is.
Your relentless drive to create,
To lead,
To build.
These aren't problems.
These are gifts.
But gifts must be honed.
They must be sharpened.
A sword.
A sword is only powerful when it is sharpened and when it is used effectively.
A race car is only unstoppable when it is fueled,
It is tuned,
And it's driven by a well-seasoned driver.
So protect your dopamine,
Build momentum-friendly systems,
And learn to shift gears between business and home life.
And most of all,
Stop trying to be like everyone else.
I'm saying that to myself as well.
That was a big lesson that I had to learn.
Stop trying to be like everyone else.
You were never meant to fit in.
You were meant to lead.
You were never meant to fit in.
You were meant to lead.
Now go build something extraordinary.
