The Disorganized Mind: Coaching Your ADHD Brain to Take Control of Your Time, Tasks, and Talents by Nancy A. Ratey

Author:Nancy A. Ratey [Ratey, Nancy A.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, pdf
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 2008-03-31T14:00:00+00:00

It bears repeating that the only “best” strategies are the ones that work for you individually, so what is most effective will probably be what you create on your own. If something seems “almost there,” modify it until it’s exactly right in your own life.

And don’t forget that trial and error will reveal what’s best, which means don’t give up!

CHAPTER 7

Impulsivity

Years ago, I was surprised when a client told me that during the twenty-odd years since he’d graduated from college, he had worked for eight different companies. “Yeah, I told my manager to shove it,” was how he described the latest time he’d been fired. “And he told me good-bye. Too bad I’m so used to it.”

Unfortunately, stories like his no longer surprise me. Many of my clients have gone from job to job, let go each time by employers no longer willing to overlook offensive actions and speech directed at clients, colleagues, and the bosses themselves. Sadly, these individuals have often been highly intelligent and skilled, in many ways so well suited for their jobs that success should have been automatic. What they’ve lacked has been a way to keep from saying and doing things so inappropriate that dismissal was their employers’ only option.

When James, a relatively young client, told me a similar story, I knew that he was fortunate in at least one sense. He had only just turned thirty. Time was on his side, and with the right commitment and attitude, he could take control of his life.

One of the first things James said to me was, “If I could only keep my big mouth shut.” He went on to paint a picture of a life beset by inappropriate behavior and mired in paradox. Young and independent, he was also handsome, athletic, and outgoing, a Wall Street trader on the fast track. He already owned a condo, a vacation club share in the Rockies, and a new sports car that he’d purchased for cash.

On the surface, he appeared rich and enviable and on the way up, the whole world within his grasp. He also loved his work, especially its intensity and pace, and though he’d been fired a few days previously, he was confident that he’d be back in another position soon. “That’s not the problem,” he assured me. “I know I’ll get another job. I’m good at what I do, I really am. I swear I was probably responsible for about 40 percent of their accounts. I didn’t get fired for bad work. I cursed at my boss in front of a lot of people again, and there was no way he was keeping me after that. I get it.”

What he couldn’t get was what made him act the way he did in the first place; why he said things that people found uncouth and offensive; why a former fraternity president and popular superjock couldn’t keep a girlfriend for more than a few months while most of his old friends were settling down with spouses and

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.