ADHD Center for Success

I was having a recent conversation with a friend who was discussing a friend of hers who is typically late, often forgetful of agreements, frequently interrupts others, and so on. My friend went on to say that her friend habitually excuses her behavior by saying, “Oh, it’s my ADD”.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, I found myself biting my lip.

The truth is that ADD is a condition that comes fully loaded with assorted behavioral traits, some good, some not so good. There is no question that ADD can be a challenge to one’s self AND to others. However, as an ADD Coach, I clearly draw a line when I say that ADD it is NOT an excuse and should never be used as an excuse. That is not to say that ADD characteristics may help to explain one’s behavior (good and not-so-good) BUT ADD is not an excuse.

As I coach adults with ADD, I make it a point to discuss integrity and responsibility. We identify the ADD’ers challenging behavior, the issue and devise a plan(s) to resolve or diminish the identified behavior(s). Of course, that’s not to say that the behavior is 100% resolved, gone forever. But in bringing awareness to the issue we strive to diminish the ADD’ers challenging behaviors and take responsibility for breakdowns in agreements, follow-through, incompletes and the poor self management of time.

Coaching is about creating forward progress and taking ownership for one’s results. I once learned -  “YOU are not your results. Your results are simply your results.” ADD is NOT an excuse for your results. There is no integrity in excusing one’s behavior by saying, “Oh, it’s my ADD”.