“When you’ve got something to prove, there’s nothing greater than a challenge.”
Terry Bradshaw

Terry Bradshaw is one of my ultimate, all time heroes and I just recently discovered that he suffers from clinical depression and has ADHD. I did not know and I feel ashamed! I mean, I am a Pittsburgh Steelers fan from way back and heck, I should have heard about this long ago… maybe I just wasn’t paying enough attention!?!

With this new found knowledge of my hero, I went back and watched the 1974 NFL documentary about the Steelers and felt, for the very first time, a connection beyond anything I had ever imagined with the blond bomber. Watching the documentary, I felt a kinship to a man who has already been an idol of mine. Looking back and re-watching was very typical of hindsight and I realized the connection almost immediately.

“I think a lot of actors have OCD. I think it’s part of being creative, whether your outlet is acting or science or maths. – Whatever it is it takes some sort of drive to get anywhere.”

Jessica Alba

No, Jessica Alba does not have ADHD; however, she did suffer from childhood OCD and seems to hint that she still has OCD in some of her comments about it. My point of using Jessica’s quotes in this week’s Adder Quote of the Week is that she says some amazing things, which we all could take a little positive reinforcement from.

“If you’ve got a big mouth and you’re controversial, you’re going to get attention.”

Simon Cowell

This week’s positive ADDer quote of the week goes to the one and only, American Idol’s, Simon Cowell! Simon Cowell? Well let’s see, my research shows that he was wild as a child, dropped out of high school at the age of 16. He started out with some mediocre jobs, but didn’t get along well with his co-workers and bosses.  Eventually his dad had to give him a job. Being Simon, he wanted more, so he tried his own company and it didn’t work out and at the age of 30 he had to move back in with his parents! I can just imagine his father shaking his head at this point.

“In the midst of all the chaos swirling through your brain, all the disorganization and impulsiveness, this condition (ADD) also seems to trigger a certain kind of creativity.”

David Neeleman

David G. Neeleman — chairman and CEO of JetBlue Airways has Attention Deficit Disorder and he has made it no secret. As a matter of fact, this man is a role model of what ADD ADHD can be for a person. I have often said ADD ADHD can be a gift and reading about David really brings home how true this statement really is!

David G. Neeleman is the chairman and CEO of JetBlue, yes, but let’s not forget that this man is the father and supporter of 9 children! That’s right 9 children!

“I’ve always been very hopeful which I guess isn’t strange coming from me. I don’t want to call myself an optimist. I want to say that I’ve always been full of hope. I’ve never lost that. I have a lot of hope for this country and for the entire world. . .”

Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg. I don’t know where to start. He is an amazing man, he is a pioneer, he is a dreamer and he is a dream giver! In looking up people with ADHD, I keep finding Steven Spielberg’s name. It would not surprise me in the least if it is true that he is an Adder. No name in Hollywood is as well known as Spielberg’s. The man sure dreams and creates like one of us! However, I must say something as I write these Adder quotes: In using quotes from individuals I do not mean to confirm or deny that these people have ADD or ADHD. With that said, isn’t it inspiring to read their words, because with certainty all the people I have quoted due indeed display characteristics of

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Steve Jobs

Is Steve Jobs an Adder? I don’t know, but his words often sound as if he has lived the life of an Adder—and doing a damn fine job of it! Steve Jobs dropped out of college and then hung around to learn from specific classes he was interested in and today he is one of the most successful people in the world. He did not abide by the “dogma”, he did not allow the rules of the educational system to hinder him and very few people on earth, who have followed the “dogma”, have done better in the business and creative world than Steve Jobs.

“As long as I can remember I feel I have had this great creative and spiritual force within me that is greater than faith, greater than ambition, greater than confidence, greater than determination, greater than vision. It is all these combined. My brain becomes magnetized with this dominating force which I hold in my hand.”
Bruce Lee

Was Bruce Lee an Adder? I don’t know—I don’t even know if it has been speculated and yet when I read his writings and read what people have said about Bruce Lee, it certainly seems that he may have been an Adder. One thing is for certain: Bruce Lee was absolutely Hyper-Focused on his Martial Arts. It has been said that when Bruce was not practicing Martial Arts, then he was thinking about Martial Arts and if he was asleep, well then he was dreaming about Martial Arts.

“You should live everyday like it’s your birthday.”Paris Hilton

There is no question about it, Paris Hilton is an Adder! No matter what anyone thinks of her or what critics say about her, she is right: “Live everyday like it’s your birthday!”

What does a birthday represent?

  _______

  “I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving he can outwit nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority”

E. B. White
Author of Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, and The Trumpet of the Swan.

E. B. White might not have been an Adder; however, this particular quote struck me as fitting for us Adders. We can either see and use ADD ADHD as a gift of our nature or we can spend our lives trying to find ways to circumvent our inherent nature. Life is short and there is no cure for ADD ADHD and yet our gift has many aspects which we can and should use to our advantage and benefit.

“Genius is more often found in a cracked pot than a whole one”

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill is one of the greatest men to have lived in the last century and he persevered through great personal difficulties and low self esteem—which was often described as an ‘ego’ problem that made him appear overly secure. Winston Churchill is also considered to have suffered from ADD ADHD; however, his diagnosis at the time of his life was lisp (speech problem) and later also thought to be cluttering (speech/communication disorder). With the information we have today

 ________

“Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.”

“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”

Albert Einstein

I used two quotes this week or more!

Albert Einstein is considered to have had ADHD and many even consider him to be the poster child of ADD ADHD! I wondered about that and

_________

“Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop the picture… Do not build up obstacles in your imagination.”
 
Norman Vincent Peale

We Adder’s can visualize, with our creative minds, better than most anyone. We only need to take a hold of our visualizations and use those to our advantage!

~Bryan