Adult ADHD - by Thom Hartmann (Paperback)

About the Book

Originally published in 1994 by Pocket Books under the title Focus Your Energy: Hunting for Success in Business with Attention Deficit Disorder; 2nd edition published in 2002 by SelectBooks under the title ADHD Secrets of Success: Coaching Yourself to Fulfillment in the Business World.

Book Synopsis

How to harness your ADHD "hunter" strengths to start your own business and prosper in the workplace

- Provides organizational strategies, tips to maintain focus, and tools to set goals, build a business plan, and discover the right project to keep you motivated

- Shares ADHD success stories from Fortune 500 CEOs, inventors, small business owners, and the author's own experience in launching new businesses

- Explains the positive side of ADHD behavior in the context of creating a business, working within an existing company, and raising children with ADHD

Most people do not "grow out" of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). For many, their ADHD traits have led to difficulties in school, relationships, and work. But for our hunter-gatherer ancestors these characteristics were necessary for survival. Hunters must be easily distractible, constantly scanning their environment, and unafraid of taking risks. When humanity experienced the agricultural revolution 10,000 years ago, a vastly different type of personality--the methodical "Farmer"--became dominant. Most of our modern world is tailored to this Farmer personality, from 9-to-5 jobs to the structure of public schools, leaving ADHD Hunters feeling like unsuccessful outcasts. However, the Hunter skill set offers many opportunities for success in today's Farmer society--if you learn how to embrace your ADHD traits instead of fighting against them.

In this step-by-step guide, Thom Hartmann explains the positive side of Hunter behavior. He reveals how Hunters make excellent entrepreneurs, sharing ADHD success stories from Fortune 500 CEOs, inventors, small business owners, and his own hands-on experience in launching new businesses. Drawing on solid scientific and psychological principles, he provides easy-to-follow organizational strategies, tips to maintain focus and create a distraction-free workspace, and tools to set goals, build a business plan, and discover the right business project to keep you motivated. Hartmann shares valuable advice for both the Hunter entrepreneur and the Hunter within an existing company and for curtailing the aggressive side of the Hunter personality in group situations or manager positions.

Revealing the many ADHD opportunities hidden within the challenges of work, relationships, and day-to-day life, Hartmann also includes tips on navigating family relationships and parenting--for most Hunter parents are also raising Hunter children.

Review Quotes

"As an empathetic native guide, Hartmann inspires hunters to revel in their evolutionary legacy. He provides empowering strategies for transforming ADHD challenges into tools for prospering in the farmer's domain. The motivating success stories reveal a multitude of paths to self-acceptance and celebrate the triumph of neurodiversity over conformity."-- "Ellen Littman, Ph.D., coauthor of Understanding Girls with ADHD"

"My therapy clients often compare ADHD to a radio that is on scan--they jump from station to station and get a lot of static. This book is like landing on The Thom Hartmann Program on your radio--a rare voice of calm, clarity, and compassion that reminds us our so-called deficits can often reveal our greatest strengths."-- "Rabbi Hillel Zeitlin, LCSW-C, director of the Maryland Institute for Ericksonian Hypnosis & Psychoth"

"Thom Hartmann is one of the most prolific cultural-creatives of our time. In this book he discloses the inner secret of how he uses his own self-diagnosis of Adult ADD, to 'make the lemonade' from what otherwise might be considered a disorder. Likewise, he shows how many of the movers and shakers of our world have succeeded the same way he has--by recognizing how their unique 'hunter' talents readily lead both to creative opportunities and financial success."-- "Stephen Larsen, Ph.D., author of Joseph Campbell: A Fire in the Mind and The Neurofeedback Solution"

"Thom Hartmann's Adult ADHD is a classic. This book is inspiring, validating, and an extremely practical guide for the entrepreneur with a 'hunter's' mind. Adult ADHD continues to make an important and unique contribution to the field and to adults with ADHD who long to lead a meaningful and satisfying life."-- "Sari Solden, MS, LMFT, author of Women with Attention Deficit Disorder and Journeys Through ADDultho"

About the Author

Thom Hartmann is the host of the nationally and internationally syndicated talkshow The Thom Hartmann Program and the TV show The Big Picture on the Free Speech TV network. He is the award-winning New York Times bestselling author of 24 books, including Attention Deficit Disorder: A Different Perception, ADHD and the Edison Gene, and The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight. A former psychotherapist and founder of the Hunter School, a residential and day school for children with ADHD, he lives in Washington, D.C.