30,000 friends, now what?
Having an audience bigger than a small town can mean many things. Or nothing at all.
So here we have reached 30 thousand friends in Threads. It's an incredible milestone. It's an incredible achievement for someone with ADHD like me, who has spent a lifetime as a serial procrastinator and could barely conclude a fraction of the projects I started.
Many ideas didn't even have the privilege of starting because postponing has always been part of every process I'm invested in, at every stage, including the phase of taking ideas out of our heads and putting them into effective practice.
Fortunately, the idea of the ADHD International Alliance could come out of my brain, after much hesitation, of course, but here we are. We are 30,000 strong and growing every day.
However, to truly make this achievement meaningful and not just a big number on the wall, it's necessary to pause and consider what it's all for. What do we want with this community? What is the main mission of our existence? What can we effectively do to improve the lives of so many wonderful friends who interact with us every day?
This community was conceived in a very ADHD-wise manner: it's too broad, too ambitious, too expansive, lacking a more specific set of goals. Sometimes I feel great joy in bringing joy and information to my fellow ADHDers, but I also feel like happily driving towards an unknown destination on a road devoid of signs and landmarks.
The challenge of establishing comprehensive goals for this International Alliance mirrors the challenge I face in setting goals for my own life. Likely, it's the same for many of you reading this.
These thoughts came from the dream of uniting all ADHDers worldwide, diagnosed or not, in an environment where we can comfortably exchange valuable information, ideas, thoughts, and impressions—all aimed at elevating our spirits, pride, self-respect, and self-knowledge.
The dream arose from the recognition that there's a clear need for us to work on these aspects, given that the world is so neurotypical that it often marginalizes us. We need more voices of affirmation.
All of this is honorable, but much like living with ADHD, we need actions, not just intentions. I feel this community must deliver something tangible, something effective for you.
We are tired of a life full of intentions that never materialize. This community must escape from this "intention trap." It must bring something that makes a difference in our lives by offering methods, systems, innovative approaches so we can operate more flexibly in whatever we choose to do.
No one is born ready; everything in life requires training and practice. Let's accept our ADHD and build strategies to overcome its challenges, while exploring how our qualities can be a differential or even an advantage. I don't know how, but there's obviously a way—otherwise, we wouldn't see so many people with ADHD thriving and successfully exploring their talents.
From now on, whenever I engage with this community, I will focus my mind on identifying concrete features that can make it practical for us. As you might imagine, "focus" is a significant challenge for us, and certainly for me too, but I will do my best.
Practicing focus and mindfulness in the ADHD International Alliance is a major personal challenge for me. If I achieve it, I will prove to myself that I can extend it to other areas of my life.
And you can do the same, because this community is not just about me—it's about you and every one of our 30 thousand friends here.
Together and beyond!