I feel like you’ve looked into my soul with this one! Always thrilled to learn new things, never do anything with that knowledge, just roll on to the next thing…
Thank you!! I can’t tell you how excited I am to have read this. I feel like it was written about me. I have a ridiculous amount of saved articles…”just in case”. My urgency to acquire more learning, take courses, and webinars saturating myself with information. I’ve learned having information does not equate knowledge or understanding.
Currently I’m welcoming patience and forgiveness, while embracing my imperfection.
This popped up on my stack after I’d spent the early hours of the morning, with a mind racing with disconnected thoughts of career paths unfulfilled and unrealised. As I lay there unable to quiet my mind, an ever changing song accompanying the cascade of semi formed recollections of my life, I tried to direct these thoughts toward something tangible.
I’d usually just let this process play its self out and get back to sleep, but something made me pick up my phone and try to record this brain activity. I had the impulse to create some art from it. Not exactly sure what or how right now.
This piece resonates so profoundly with me. I know too well the excitement of diving into a new subject of interest, or starting a new project, without necessarily knowing why or having a defined purpose. It’s reminded me of the importance of doing, rather than dwelling.
I just hope I can overcome the fear.
P.s this is the second time I’ve written this. This subsequent attempt is a poor imitation of the original, but in my attempt to copy the text to paste into a separate post, I copied the link over the top and lost everything (including almost my sanity!) Thanks ADHD. 🙄
Wow good point! But I think I should follow up on something; ALONG with ongoing enthusiasm and topic and information searching and gathering! Haha! I had never really looked at it like this; but you are absolutely correct!!! T might also help me ( and others) give ourselves more grace ; to realize ( over and over) we can’t know it all 😃🥰
I feel this so much! I’ve always said if I could be a professional student I would 😅 but it is so important to remember we don’t have to be perfect to start - we just have to try. Thank you for this article!
At almost 63 I feel I’m a little late to the ADHD party and wish I could’ve joined much earlier. Every day is a new day of discovery and like others who’ve commented on this post it feels as if you’re writing about ME. I could probably gain a qualification in gaining qualifications. I have no regrets about the many learning paths I’ve wandered down as I’ve learned a great deal and met some amazing and fascinating people along the way. What I want to do as I move forward is put more of what I’ve learned out there in a way that might help others and I feel that also in turn helps me. Thank you for your post, very helpful.
Well done. I hope you find sharing helpful? I’ve found that just having an explanation for my many ways of being throughout my life very helpful. A sense of relief. A deeper understanding of myself. The more I read about ADHD and other peoples stories helps me realise I wasn’t damaged, deficient or dysfunctional, I was just different. I’m not yet a place where I’m openly talking about it with others, only with my wife really. But I will. Keep well friend.
I love this article. One of the reasons why I recently recommitted to Substack was exactly this. I realized that if I didn't start now I would look back and regret not taking action. I also had to accept that I didn't have to be perfect, that I have ADHD and being disciplined and consistent can be difficult while raising children and working, and that sharing my work when I can and as often as I can would have to be good enough for now.
It's important for each of us to change our mindsets to, what is good enough for me to take action vs. it will be good enough to take action when it's perfect.
I love this. It's not about starting a journey, it's about consistent progress and SMART goals. My whole life, I've desired to be a Neverending student. Just because I can change the way I learn, doesn't mean I have to give up that dream, but I need to learn to manage my time effectively using planners, to-do lists, phone reminders, the pomodoro method, and consistent spaced-repetition. Don't start these things tomorrow, if you can start them today, but don't expect to become an expert overnight.
As everyone else has said it, you're basically calling me out directly with this post.
I've been trying to start doing art commissions for several months now but it never feels as if I'm truely skilled to be worth anyone's money. Which is stupid because I've recently made a couple of drawings that I'm proud of and that demonstrate the opposite... and yet I still feel as if I'm lacking knowledge on this topic and practice on another one, like I need one more tutorial and then trying to plan more about this and that aspect of drawing and so on.
I've watched some many tutorials that most of them are pointless now because people just keep repeating the same advice over and over, using different words and in different order.
Just yesterday I was thinking "It would be nice if I could draw fantasy chracters in this kind of way" and then automatically another thought pulled up saying "Yeah, I need to practice the basics more". To which I happened to look at from a third point perspective and thought "Why? How am I going to become better at drawing/designing characters if I never actually do it?" I've been drawing for a handful of years and yet I still feel like a beginner. I think this happens also because of a lack of confidence, a thing that I'm starting to notice more and more and how it creeples several aspects of my life.
Is this advice specific to neurodivergent learners? Learning for for the sake of exploration and interest gives rise to innovation, connections, and healthy exploration of the world. It seems so unfortunate to suggest that learning should always be goal oriented. Perhaps this is a strategy to overcome a certain avoidance tactic, rather than a general societal recommendation?
🤲
💚💚💚
I feel like you’ve looked into my soul with this one! Always thrilled to learn new things, never do anything with that knowledge, just roll on to the next thing…
Thank you!! I can’t tell you how excited I am to have read this. I feel like it was written about me. I have a ridiculous amount of saved articles…”just in case”. My urgency to acquire more learning, take courses, and webinars saturating myself with information. I’ve learned having information does not equate knowledge or understanding.
Currently I’m welcoming patience and forgiveness, while embracing my imperfection.
Thank you! I joined this sub stack in an effort to understand more and judge less my husband who got his diagnosis late in life.
This popped up on my stack after I’d spent the early hours of the morning, with a mind racing with disconnected thoughts of career paths unfulfilled and unrealised. As I lay there unable to quiet my mind, an ever changing song accompanying the cascade of semi formed recollections of my life, I tried to direct these thoughts toward something tangible.
I’d usually just let this process play its self out and get back to sleep, but something made me pick up my phone and try to record this brain activity. I had the impulse to create some art from it. Not exactly sure what or how right now.
This piece resonates so profoundly with me. I know too well the excitement of diving into a new subject of interest, or starting a new project, without necessarily knowing why or having a defined purpose. It’s reminded me of the importance of doing, rather than dwelling.
I just hope I can overcome the fear.
P.s this is the second time I’ve written this. This subsequent attempt is a poor imitation of the original, but in my attempt to copy the text to paste into a separate post, I copied the link over the top and lost everything (including almost my sanity!) Thanks ADHD. 🙄
Wow good point! But I think I should follow up on something; ALONG with ongoing enthusiasm and topic and information searching and gathering! Haha! I had never really looked at it like this; but you are absolutely correct!!! T might also help me ( and others) give ourselves more grace ; to realize ( over and over) we can’t know it all 😃🥰
I feel this so much! I’ve always said if I could be a professional student I would 😅 but it is so important to remember we don’t have to be perfect to start - we just have to try. Thank you for this article!
But this is how I became a trivia phenomenon.
At almost 63 I feel I’m a little late to the ADHD party and wish I could’ve joined much earlier. Every day is a new day of discovery and like others who’ve commented on this post it feels as if you’re writing about ME. I could probably gain a qualification in gaining qualifications. I have no regrets about the many learning paths I’ve wandered down as I’ve learned a great deal and met some amazing and fascinating people along the way. What I want to do as I move forward is put more of what I’ve learned out there in a way that might help others and I feel that also in turn helps me. Thank you for your post, very helpful.
Im closer to 77 than 76 and I just started talking about, just admitted it.
Well done. I hope you find sharing helpful? I’ve found that just having an explanation for my many ways of being throughout my life very helpful. A sense of relief. A deeper understanding of myself. The more I read about ADHD and other peoples stories helps me realise I wasn’t damaged, deficient or dysfunctional, I was just different. I’m not yet a place where I’m openly talking about it with others, only with my wife really. But I will. Keep well friend.
Spot on! This very useful article pushes us to get going on whatever we are supposed to be working on now. Thank you! 😄
I love this article. One of the reasons why I recently recommitted to Substack was exactly this. I realized that if I didn't start now I would look back and regret not taking action. I also had to accept that I didn't have to be perfect, that I have ADHD and being disciplined and consistent can be difficult while raising children and working, and that sharing my work when I can and as often as I can would have to be good enough for now.
It's important for each of us to change our mindsets to, what is good enough for me to take action vs. it will be good enough to take action when it's perfect.
I feel seen and also very called out. 😭
I really need to write the dang book already. 😩
I love the newness of learning something, but the consistency to actually finish the course or book isn't quite there.
I love this. It's not about starting a journey, it's about consistent progress and SMART goals. My whole life, I've desired to be a Neverending student. Just because I can change the way I learn, doesn't mean I have to give up that dream, but I need to learn to manage my time effectively using planners, to-do lists, phone reminders, the pomodoro method, and consistent spaced-repetition. Don't start these things tomorrow, if you can start them today, but don't expect to become an expert overnight.
As everyone else has said it, you're basically calling me out directly with this post.
I've been trying to start doing art commissions for several months now but it never feels as if I'm truely skilled to be worth anyone's money. Which is stupid because I've recently made a couple of drawings that I'm proud of and that demonstrate the opposite... and yet I still feel as if I'm lacking knowledge on this topic and practice on another one, like I need one more tutorial and then trying to plan more about this and that aspect of drawing and so on.
I've watched some many tutorials that most of them are pointless now because people just keep repeating the same advice over and over, using different words and in different order.
Just yesterday I was thinking "It would be nice if I could draw fantasy chracters in this kind of way" and then automatically another thought pulled up saying "Yeah, I need to practice the basics more". To which I happened to look at from a third point perspective and thought "Why? How am I going to become better at drawing/designing characters if I never actually do it?" I've been drawing for a handful of years and yet I still feel like a beginner. I think this happens also because of a lack of confidence, a thing that I'm starting to notice more and more and how it creeples several aspects of my life.
Is this advice specific to neurodivergent learners? Learning for for the sake of exploration and interest gives rise to innovation, connections, and healthy exploration of the world. It seems so unfortunate to suggest that learning should always be goal oriented. Perhaps this is a strategy to overcome a certain avoidance tactic, rather than a general societal recommendation?