The Impulsive Thinker™ (for ADHD Entrepreneurs)

The Impulsive Thinker started as a place for ADHD Entrepreneurs to come and discover strategies, understand ourselves and understand our unique ways of functioning in the world around us. Diagnosed with ADHD and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) level 1 (Asperger’s syndrome), I hope to share what I’ve learned through my own journey through the podcast and on this blog.

Don’t feel like reading right now? Listen to the episode. 

Why the Impulsive Thinker? 

The name “The Impulsive Thinker” came to me through my work with Strategic Coach®, an entrepreneurial coaching program. In the program, you work to identify your Unique Abilities® and best habits. I’ve determined that my Unique Ability® is my impulsive thinking. Through this program, I discovered that as an impulsive thinker, all of my great and unique ideas and solutions have come from talking with other people as we try to solve a problem.  

Impulsivity is one of the symptoms of ADHD, but when it’s managed, it’s one of my biggest strengths. Saying without thinking opens a lot of doors. It allows me to think and see things that other people can’t. Before my diagnosis, I would find faults in the way I thought and functioned because it wasn’t the same as other people in the neuro-typical world. Coming to understand myself better, I’ve noticed this way of thinking, which I thought was an obstacle, is an opportunity and, if managed, a strength. And so, The Impulsive Thinker was born.  

Creating Strategic Boundaries 

After my diagnosis, I learned a lot about the ADHD brain and started applying boundaries at work, with customers and staff, as well as on the types of tasks I performed. The biggest shift? I stopped doing tasks that caused a lot of frustration. By communicating boundaries and the “why” behind them both at home and professionally, I was able to create systems that were easier to follow and left me with more mental energy at the end of the day. For me, that looked like creating a logbook of my tasks to reduce surprises in my day-to-day life.   

Taking on New Projects 

Generally speaking, self-confidence decreases in people with ADHD over time and it’s something I’ve worked on. Despite being a successful entrepreneur, it’s easy to move past those positives quickly. In my professional world, this showed. I loved setting up my businesses, putting out fires, solving problems and being intellectually stimulated. Once that slowed down though and there was a routine, I became bored.  

I looked for problems where there weren’t any and so I created them. Projects were delayed, I lost team members and I damaged relationships with awesome customers. In short, I was letting my symptoms take over. It was when I learned to manage those symptoms and use them as opportunities that things changed. 

Functioning Differently 

After masking myself to meet the demands and expectations of the neurotypical world, my ADHD diagnosis unlocked what I needed and validated what I’d always known: I worked differently than most. The diagnosis helped me realize that’s ok. I am me and you are you.  

My turning point came through a free writing exercise when I forgave myself for being my biggest critic. Everyone wants one simple way to define others and you can’t do that. Our biggest struggle is to see the positives in our lives. At the end of the day, ADHD is part of me but it isn’t all of me.  

 Further Exploration  

The ADHD Transformation Program has launched and it’s working wonders. Clients have shared how it’s changing their lives. Curious to learn more? Visit our website for more details. Remember, ADHD is only a part of you, not all of you.  

Overcome time blindness by downloading The Sh!t List, my free weekly planning tool to help focus your time. 

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