The answer
The Answer by John Assaraf & Murray Smith should be required reading for anyone with ADHD. It’s rare that I come across such a book which is not specifically written for ADDers. However, reading through it, I sure get the sense it was written for the ADHD community! I will go so far as to say, folks with ADHD will probably ‘get’ this book while reading it far sooner than those without ADHD.
A friend of mine sent me The Answer a few weeks back and asked me to read it and let her know if I felt the same way about it and if I did, to please write about it. I do, and more! Holy Smoke Stacks do I ever!
Top achievers in any field have followed their innate talents, or what they consider their gifts. They do not pay any attention to their weaknesses, except for identifying what they are (ultra important) and making sure they do not work in the direction of their weaknesses. If you’re one who believes that strengthening your weakness is the key to success, well, that’s more likely a key to mediocrity rather than success. You will never find top performers who are working in the field of their greatest weaknesses. The exception to this rule is if what was thought of as a weakness due to fear or anxiety turns out to be a strength, a hidden talent or ‘gift’.
The Answer has been written to be a companion to The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, or, more directly The Answer to The Secret. And that’s exactly what it is; however, now that I have read it, it sure explains why so many people have read The Secret and have not been able to model their behaviors after The Secret’s philosophy. Too many have read The Secret and then believe that whatever they are imagining will just come to them. That works and it doesn’t work. The Answer clearly explains that one must get off his or her butt and get to it (their words) and how to get to it. For example, if you’re visualizing becoming a writer, it won’t help if you don’t start writing. However, maybe the hold back is what you’re writing about and not the writing itself. You can be the greatest writer in the world, but, if you don’t want to write about a certain subject, it’s still going to be difficult. Does this sound a little familiar to you?
People with ADHD are always being put in situations, ever since grade school, to do things in ways their mind simply isn’t wired to do and they fail. Maybe the child with ADHD has a great talent for drawing, or, hey, how about swimming, but, before that child can ever get to an art class or swimming elective which will explore such a talent, he or she must go through years of learning things which his or her mind has great difficulty in learning. By the time the child gets the opportunity to explore their innate talent, it’s often way too late, negative thinking and failure from doing what their mind isn’t wired to do has created what was a promising talent into something totally the opposite. Negativity and belief in failure has set in already and all too often therapy becomes required. Great way to start off… right? I personally believe this is what Dr. Hallowell and others like Dr. Lara Honos-Webb are attempting to help parents and adult ADDers with, when they talk and write about the gifts of ADHD, by finding those talents and traits which have become dormant due to neglect for various reasons. Get your head out of the clouds! The Answer maintains we should get our heads BACK into the clouds! Haven’t I been saying that already??? lol
Think about it – what if Michael Phelps had not been allowed to take advantage of his talent for swimming early? What if he was not surrounded by great coaches and mentors ever since he was a small child with ADHD? What if he had been forced to wait… would he have become the Olympic Swimmer we know of today? I would hazard to guess that it would have been far more difficult to start ten years later. Sure, he could have dreamed about and visualized himself swimming while he waited, but, without physical application to go along with those visualized efforts… and we wonder… (just a side note, I am also sure his mother didn’t raise him to believe his ADHD was a curse… just saying)
Okay, I got a little off target here, The Answer’s is a clear, step by step explanation with plenty of examples of how The Secret works and why it works. John Assaraf, is a key member behind The Secret, therefore, for The Secret followers, he’s an original team member who helped bring out The Secret! What would it take to make all your dreams come true? That’s the question. And most people don’t want to ask that question of themselves, with good reason! You will be asking yourself this question after reading The Answer! You will be asking that question after the first chapter!
Goals! I have always had trouble with goals. Write them, be clear about them, we need them, goals take you to the next level etc etc etc… so much has been written about goals, you would think there is nothing more to write. Remember, I have an ADHD mind and goals are the bane of an ADDer’s existence! Not for me, not anymore!!! The Answer has provided me perfect examples, which my ADHD mind readily adapted! For the first time I clearly wrote out my personal specific goals! It feels really good to read them over and know that I can achieve each and every one of them and not just half hazardly dream about them!
I highly recommend The Answer to the ADHD community!
~Bryan
