In the last few years I haven’t been that interested in reading fiction. I guess I had lost my interest in fairy tales and things which simply are not real or actual. But for some reason I recently picked up a book called The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I was compelled to read this book out of nowhere, can’t really explain it, but the story within The Alchemist explained the reason to me.

The Alchemist is a story about living your dreams, searching out your destiny and believing in what you can’t always see.  It’s faith really, faith in yourself and that your purpose for living has meaning. “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve your dream” is, in my opinion, the central message within The Alchemist.

That’s a question I get quite a bit: Do I really have ADHD? When I say yes, the next comment is somewhat of a question/statement: “Then it must not be that severe.” Or, the next question will be “What medication are you on? It seems to be working great!” Of course, when I say I do not take any medication, I often get a stunned look of profound amazement.

Perception is not a correct answer. Perception is just what we think from what we see and hear on the surface of things. Making decisions from perception is most often a mistake. A lot of new ideas fail because they are based on false perceptions, businesses fail for the same reason and so do human relationships.

Sometimes it is nice to take a moment and reflect on things. ADDer World is now a year old (ADDer World community only 2 months) and my book “One Boy’s Struggle: A Memoir – Surviving Life with Undiagnosed ADD” has been on the open market for just over 6 months. I sit here, close my eyes and reflect. Where was I in my quest just over a year ago, what hopes did I have and what did I imagine the future would hold? Seems to me I was living on a prayer (to quote the inspirational band Bon Jovi). I have a very vivid imagination, it is incredible, the things I can see and the things I can sense. But who knew? I didn’t.

Seth Godin

The article that follows is by Seth Godin, the marketing guru of modern times! He has given me his permission to republish it here, for you. Seth constantly talks about doing things different and he has a very common, uncommon sense about him. He makes sense and his ideas work… do you know about the idea virus or the purple cow? Check his blog out and you soon will!

The most frequent question about my book, from people who have not yet read it, is:

How are you marketing it so successfully online only?

The answers are (many), here are the top 10:

1.)      I am a marketing genius!?! 

2.)      I pay very close attention to marketing geniuses such as:

a)      Seth Godin (great guy!)

b)      Chris Garrett (great guy, but have never talked to him personally)

3.)      (From a personal standpoint, this is really number 1) – Wrote an honest, raw and very personal book about an issue that is very important to a lot of people and me - ie: My book relates to a lot of good people and is a comfort to many, just as it was therapeutic for me too.

Before I was first diagnosed with ADHD I had written thousands of want to be novels and other stuff, but not any of them were complete. Since diagnosis I wrote my book “One Boy’s Struggle: A Memoir”, started my blog ADDer World and I have recently created an online community for those with ADHD or are related in some way to someone with ADHD.  Being diagnosed with ADHD was liberation from a mind obsessed with blame, lots of self-blame for a great many things, a major one is for not finishing things which were important to me.

That’s right. Well, at least loan it out. If you have read my book and your copy is sitting around somewhere, please take it with you on your travels today and give it to someone. If your a parent, take it with you to your child’s school and give it to a teacher or another parent. If you have ADHD, please consider passing it on to someone you know with ADHD. If you read it and you have no connection to ADHD, but relate to the book of a misunderstood and confused child, please pass it on to anyone who you think may read it. And, ask the people you pass it on to, to also, please pass it on to others.

Please, take a moment today, or sometime this week, to pass on my book to someone you know who would be interested and caring enough to pass it on too.

ADD.ABOUT.com Keath Low has become one of my most enthusiastic supporters, and like many of you, she has been touched by my life’s story presented to the world through my memoir “One Boy’s Struggle: A Memoir – Surviving Life with Undiagnosed ADD”. In my memoir I talk a lot about peer relationships, how they affected me and what I learned. Keath Low interviewed me recently for ABOUT.com concerning peer relationships. I am pleased to know that what I have learned about ADHD and using my hindsight of my life’s situations is helping others. You can read the interview here. 

Keath enjoyed my book so much that she wrote a personal review about it:

By Keath Low: 

Bryan’s book is called One Boy’s Struggle: A Memoir – Surviving Life with Undiagnosed ADD. It is a raw portrait of his struggles with undiagnosed ADD, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression. Bryan initially experienced some anxiety about sharing such personal aspects of his life. He has been amazed by the outpouring of kindness and support he has received. Many have related to his story.

Clearly the type of support one receives has a tremendous impact on an individual’s educational, employment and personal success. Once Bryan was finally diagnosed with ADD in adulthood, his life took an amazing turn for the better. His story reiterates the importance of increased awareness and education about the impact ADD/ADHD can have in our lives…

Read the entire article
- By Keath Low, About.com Guide to ADD / ADHD

The complete story to this article is within the pages of my

MEMOIR 

I write about relationships quite a bit, I like to write about them and I hope what I have written has meant something for those who read my articles.

The ADD ADHD mind is very complex and not everyone is the same, we can relate on a lot of levels and in a lot of situations and I believe when it comes to relationships we relate quite well with each other too.