My Writings. My Thoughts.

Welcome to the website of Ben Glenn, The Simple ADHD Expert!

// February 11th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized

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Set Realistic Goals!

// April 1st, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized

Picture this: you’re at a friend’s party getting pumped for some intense gridiron action.You and your buddies are wearing your over-sized jerseys, and you’re eating potato chips out of a football-shaped bowl. Life doesn’t get much better. Right?

WRONG! Just when you thought you had it all, someone puts out a plate of warm, gooey brownies. You reach for one, and as you sink your teeth into the chocolaty goodness, all you can think is “oooooooooh yeah.” Your bliss is complete.

It doesn’t take long for that entire plate to be gone. Why? Because once you taste one, you want to go back for more. And more. And more. Who cares about huge guys bashing into each other on the field when you have brownies?

As a guy with ADHD, I’ve realized that I have to cherish the brownie moments in my life - when a success or accomplishment tastes so good that I want to go back and taste more of it. It’s too easy for us to remember the bad stuff and get caught up in the times that we have failed. But by intentionally celebrating our achievements, no matter how big or small, we can get that taste of success in our mouths, making us strive for more.

One of the greatest mysteries of all time is how I managed to graduate college having read only two books front to back. I had struggled with the characteristics of ADHD, learning disabilities, and dyslexia all the way through school. When I had to read a book for class, I would start it and put it right back on the shelf. If it was really important, I’d have someone read it to me, or I would cheat (which I’m ashamed to admit). But after graduation, I decided that I wanted to really read a book.

I started to read He Still Moves Stones by Max Lucado. It took me a little over a month, but I actually finished it. I even read the introduction! I was so excited that as soon as I closed the back cover, I started calling all my friends. I wanted them to celebrate with me. The encouragement I got over the phone felt so good that it motivated me to go out and read a couple more books. Just like those brownies, the taste of succeeding despite my ADHD was so good that I wanted more of it.

If you are in the ADHD club with me, find a way to recognize and celebrate all of the little achievements. I know it’s a lot easier to think about all the difficulties and negative stuff, the lack of focus, the distractibility, all the battles. We hyper-focus on the bad and have a tunnel vision that blocks out our successes. Instead of remembering the A we got on a spelling test, we remember getting our name put on the chalk board for not paying attention during class. Instead of remembering 199 great shows that I put on in a given year, I tend to remember the 1 that didn’t go well.

But you can change that by refocusing and setting attainable goals. We tend to be extremely creative and create goals outside the scope of reality, and we feel like we’re only a success if we’ve reached that pinnacle. That just sets us up for failure.

So, make a list of realistic goals. And when you’ve successfully achieved one of them, find a way to celebrate or commemorate that victory. Maybe it’s putting something special on your desk that reminds you of the success, or maybe it’s eating a Little Debbie or something. Whatever it is, reward yourself for your accomplishment. It’s something to look forward to and be excited about, and it will drive you to work toward more goals.

mmm… I think I’ll go make some brownies…

Demo

// March 30th, 2009 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Check out my new demo!

Chalkguy Video Blog #3

// February 12th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Video Blog

Personal Coaching for ADHD

// February 12th, 2009 // No Comments » // Thoughts on ADHD

The Seattle-based Edge Foundation, started by Flexcar founder Neil Peterson, announced Monday a $1 million study on the effectiveness of personal coaching on college students suffering Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The 27-month study will be led by a faculty team at >Wayne State University in Detroit. Peterson and both his children have ADHD.

There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that coaching helps students, but there’s never been a rigorous scientific study, said Sharon Field, the study’s research director.

Funding comes from a $805,000 grant awarded by the Deerbrook Charitable Trust as well as contributions from >The Foundation of Coaching and the Edge Foundation.

Jesus is the Light of The World

// February 12th, 2009 // No Comments » // Thoughts on God

A few years back, when Cuban leader Fidel Castro was feeling considerably feistier, he joined other prominent communist leaders in a sandlot baseball game. Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez was on the mound when Castro came to the plate. Chavez worked the count to 3-2 and then threw a perfect pitch right down the middle. “Strike!” said the umpire – who was undoubtedly a very brave fellow.

Castro calmly responded, “No, that was a ball,” and walked to first base. No one on the field, in the crowd, or in the press corps raised an objection. After all, it was Castro’s field and Castro’s country. The boss gets to make the rules.

It’s good to be dictator.

In October 1905 the President of the United States convened an urgent summit meeting at the White House. The subject was football. Theodore Roosevelt declared that unless college presidents and the national rules committee changed the way the game was played, he would be forced to ban it.

TR loved football. His son was a player at Harvard. But the game had become so brutal that more than 100 student players had died on the field. State legislatures were considering bills to make football illegal. Roosevelt’s pressure and prescience led to a startling new innovation – the forward pass.

At first there were strong restrictions to the passing game. The quarterback could not throw a pass to a receiver in the end zone, and an incomplete pass was like a turnover; the other team got to take possession. Traditionalists harrumphed that throwing the football would end up ruining the game. But Peyton Manning and generations of football fans are delighted that Roosevelt held his ground and changed the rules.

It’s good to be President.

Every day, millions of people decide that they are more than capable of re-writing God’s rulebook for the Good Life. Telling the truth? Reality-bending is sufficiently epidemic that the ninth commandment is arguably the most violated in our country. Promise-keeping? There is no statistical distinction in the rates of marital failure between those inside and outside the church. Cheating? Americans are astonishingly lax when it comes to personal fair play on their tax returns and classroom examinations. That being said, no one wants to go into surgery under the knife of a doctor who cheated on his boards. We’re not so worried about our own behavior, but definitely prefer everyone else to play it straight.

At the level of popular culture, rules-breaking is almost a virtue. We follow the exploits of TV doctors, lawyers, cops, and government agents who simply have to violate protocol in order to save lives and make the world a better place. Cars are sold with the promise that their owners will be empowered to “color outside the lines.” Crooners remind us that I Gotta Be Me, and, when push comes to shove, I Did it My Way.

It’s good to be king of my own life.

That is, unless I am accountable to another king. To the true King. In that case, changing the rules would not be an expression of my freedom and creativity. It would be an assertion of defiant autonomy. And if the true King has designed reality in such a way that obedience to him brings profound joy instead of stifling limitation, I am unwittingly subverting my own quest for happiness.

It’s good to be obedient to the One who has my best interests in mind. That won’t sell many cars, but it will assuredly prevent a lot of broken hearts and ruined lives.

The Perseverance Drawing

// February 12th, 2009 // No Comments » // Videos