(Click to hear Interview)

Michael Gerber, Best Selling Author

In this Age of the New Entrepreneur, Michael E. Gerber is its spokesperson and leader. Named by INC Magazine as the world’s #1 small busines Guru, Gerber has sold over 5,000,000 books and that many people can’t be wrong.

Listen in as Michael interviews Dr. Shane about ADHD and Entrepreneurship!

However, the First Lady’s strategy might be open to an unexpected counterpunch: ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. While ADHD affects nearly 5% of Americans, an article from the January 2009 issue of the journal “Obesity” states that 26–61% of patients seeking weight loss treatment struggle with ADHD and obesity.

But what is it about ADHD that increases the chances of obesity?

People with ADHD tend to be impulsive and easily distracted and hyper-focus. As such, they make hasty eating choices and frequently use food to relieve boredom. Paradoxically, when people with ADHD hyper-focus they can become so engaged within an activity that they don’t realize how much they’ve eaten, or they simply forget to eat. By the time they do eat, they are more likely to be starving and gorge themselves — and much less likely to make positive food choices.

Here are six weight loss tips that can help you beat obesity when you have ADHD:

1. Seek a professional diagnosis. Get a diagnosis to determine if you actually have ADHD. Also, find out if you have any co-existing conditions. For example, anxiety, depression, substance and/or alcohol problems can significantly undermine your weight loss efforts.

2. Schedule your meals the night before with plans to eat three good meals and a few healthy snacks. Packing your food will help you make healthier choices and eat smaller portions.

3. Pay attention to your body’s signals that it’s hungry, and schedule your meals throughout the day. These practices will help to avoid getting so wrapped up in an activity that you later make poor choices such as eating unhealthy snacks and overeating because you are hungry.

4. Recognize the first three letters of the word “diet” are D-I-E. We’re talking about lifestyle changes, and not fad diets here. Fad dieters are more likely to lose muscle and fat; and unfortunately when they regain the weight they replace it with only fat — and not muscle. As such, fad diets make us unhealthier and increase the chances of obesity.

5. Focus on being healthy instead of “skinny.”

6. People with ADHD need to get more active. Rather than turning to food when bored or stressed, turn to more stimulating activities such as horseback riding, canoeing, cycling or paintball.

These suggestions should help people with ADHD to win Mrs. Obama’s fight against America’s obesity epidemic.

ADHD coaches specialize in understanding, developing and leveraging the unique strengths and limitations associated with ADHD. Accordingly, they are distinctly qualified to help you become more successful at work (whether you are an employee or an entrepreneur), at school and at home.

2. What is ADHD coaching? It is a specialized type of life or business coaching that uses specialized techniques geared toward working with the unique brain wiring of individuals with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. ADHD coaching is not a substitute for traditional treatment for ADHD, such as medication, diet, exercise, and other behavioral therapeutic interventions.

You also might want to consider whether the coach uses a strength-based approach when working with ADHD clients — that is, do they treat ADHD from a “giftedness” rather than a “deficit” perspective. If you are considering an ADHD business Coach, you might consider one that employs data driven assessment tools that incorporate objective data (from you, direct reports, peers and customers) about your unique ADHD and leadership traits. This way, they can asses your strengths and limitations based on objective data.

3. How will having an ADHD coach impact the rest of your ADHD treatment team? ADHD coaching is a compliment to the treatment you get from your physician(s) and counselor. Your ADHD coach will work in concert with your treatment team to make sure all of your symptoms are being managed effectively.

4. Is ADHD coaching different from therapy? ADHD Coaching is not psychotherapy. First, it generally doesn’t directly focus on a person’s past or emotional healing. Rather, ADHD coaching identifies specific actions that will help achieve your life and/or business goals. It is not uncommon to work with a coach while you work with a therapist or counselor. Many ADHD coaches also have backgrounds as therapists or counselors.

5. How does ADHD coaching work? ADHD coaching is a close, ongoing partnership. It is not uncommon for clients work with their coach for six months or longer. Coaches can either meet their clients in person, or by telephone three or four times each month, for 30 to 45 minutes per call. Coaching sessions cover what’s going on in the client’s life and/or business — with emphases on challenges, opportunities, employing strategies for success and incorporating feedback to adjust the strategy if need be.

6. Does telephone coaching really work? The answer to this question is mixed. Yes, telephone coaching works well for most clients with ADHD. Meeting by telephone can be preferable to the logistics associated with traveling to meet in person. In addition, it provides a wider variety of options in selecting coach who specializes in ADHD, as you are not limited by geographical location. However, there are those clients with ADHD that prefer face to face meetings. Alternatively, you can do both, or even video conference. Guess the best answer is there are options.

7. How do I select an ADHD coach? Most coaches offer a free trial coaching session, while others offer the first two visits at a reduced price. And, others offer webinars or conference calls, and will let you sit in as a visitor. Use these sessions to find out if you like the coach’s style, and if what they are offering complements your situation.
It’s a good idea to talk with three or more coaches before making your choice.
When evaluating your choices, listen for clues that the coach understands ADHD and has a solid history of working with it.

In addition to demystifying ADHD, I am excited about how coaching will help you tap into your hidden genius and maximize your success at work, school and home.

 

In today’s tough economic climate, entrepreneurs face a uniquely broad set of challenges. While forced to react to every day tactical crises (e.g., the demand to increase sales, the need to develop a new employee, securing long-term relationships), it is more important than ever to be proactive and maintain a strategic focus (e.g., put systems in place, implement strategies that respond to market changes and customer demands, improve the bottom-line, lead your company and create new opportunities).

To be successful, today’s Entrepreneur with ADHD must learn to differentiate between these competing demands. In fact, beyond learning to focus, it may be the case that increasing your ability to differentiate what activity merits your attention may an
equally – if not more – crucial determinant of your company’s success.

To help you learn to differentiate, I will refer to an approach I first encountered in the “E-Myth Mastery: The Seven Essential Disciplines for Building a World Class Company,” written by Michael Gerber. He insightfully points out that Entrepreneurs need to have the ability to differentiate (or as he say’s to “discriminate”) — that is, choosing where to focus your attention. Mr. Gerber has a brilliant, yet simple system that can be used to help Entrepreneurs with ADHD develop their skill at differentiating between whether an activity is strategic or tactical.

Assuming you have found an ADHD treatment that helps you learn how to increase your focus, developing your skill at differentiation may be the most critical step you take on your path to success.

You must learn how to focus — and where to focus — your attention. If you can not differentiate your attention, you will never learn how to use it to select the most important thing to do. An entrepreneur who can not differentiate will spend as much energy on the least important things as the most important things, which will almost guarantee you are taken off course. You must know what strategic objectives are important, and what activities will bring them about.

Achieving these strategic objectives has little to do with successfully reacting to today’s crises; rather, it involves proactively putting together and executing a strategic plan that accomplishes your big picture goals. 

To learn to become more strategic, I want you to get a calendar book and write down everything you do for a day. No matter how insignificant, I want you to list every thing you do. At the end of the day, you are to designate the activities on your list as either “E” for entrepreneurial, “M” for managerial, or “T” for technical.

The work that you designate an “E” to should be entrepreneurial work. The work you designate an “M” to could be entrepreneurial, or managerial work. That is, either you as an entrepreneur can complete it, or you could assign it to a manager because it is not essential that you complete it. The work you designate a “T” is definitely not entrepreneurial work. Rather, it is work you can assign to either a manager, or a technician to complete.

So how do you know which letter to assign to which task?

Entrepreneurial work. If the task is essential to achieving one of the strategic goals of your company, then it is the work of an entrepreneur. For example, doing a conference call with perspective investors on a deal that is essential for your long term success is designated “E”.

Managerial work. If the task falls within the operation of your company, and can be designated to manager, then it is the work of a manager. For example, making a sale, hiring/firing an employee is designated “M”.

Technical work. If the work can be completed by someone other than you or a manager, then it is the work of a technician. For example starting a new filing system, ordering supplies, or getting a computer network fixed is designated “T”.

Once you have identified whether your activities are either “E”, “M”, or “T”, you will probably be surprised by how little you’ve been differentiating between the strategic work an entrepreneur does and the tactical work that a technician can do. However, developing the skill of differentiation, will have a profound impact on the choices you make during the course of your day.

Next, I want you to organize your day into entrepreneurial, managerial and technical segments — and allocate your time accordingly. It doesn’t matter which times are devoted to which work, but for the purpose of developing the skill of differentiation, it is critical that you dutiful do this exercise daily, and that you confine yourself to doing the work you have committed to for that segment of time.

Once you start to make the distinction between strategic and tactical work, and govern your activities accordingly, you will notice that while you still have ADHD things will not continue to just happen to you. Instead, you will be begin to harness your ADHD in such a fashion that the stuff you want to happen in your business will always happen.

Good luck! Feel free to post a comment updating us on your progress!

To watch video clich here

In this Radio Show, Host, Joy Keys, Dr. Shane Perrault and Dr. Josephine Elia (Co-Medical Director of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Center for Management of ADHD), talk about a few Myths associated with ADHD. In addition to debunking some of these Myths, this show offers a strength-based, giftedness approach to ADHD — which should help you begin to recognize and harness the hidden talents and personality traits that frequently accompany ADHD.

In all, it’s an easy and informative 30 minute show that I think you will in enjoy!

Saturday Mornings with Joy Keys

“Saturday Mornings with Joy Keys” is an interactive, live Internet talk-radio show that focuses on providing people with tools to enrich and advance their lives mentally, physically, monetarily and emotionally. Callers are encouraged to call (646) 929-0368 to listen or ask questions.

The show is live every Saturday at 11:00 a.m. Eastern.Joy Keys is a native Philadelphian. She is a mother, trainer, speaker, mentor, actress, writer, producer and director. A member of the Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG) and a Leeway Art and Change grantee, Ms. Keys is passionate about making a difference in her local and global communities.

One of the questions asked was “What gives you the greatest pleasure in your relationship?” Respondents without ADD who are married to people with officially diagnosed ADD answered that question this way:

The most common answers focused on spontaneity, laughter, fun and friendship.

Some examples:
Our playfulness. My ADHD husband has an incredible laugh that is absolutely infectious and he really knows how to play with real fun with me and with his adolescent daughter and young adult son.

My husband is enthusiastic, energetic, and fun to be around.

My husband who is ADD has such a fantastic ability to be funny. He has a wonderful way with words. Sometimes those words become negative but when they’re funny, he’s right up there with the best of comedians.

I love to listen to my husband talk: he is so knowledgeable about so many things and is willing to share his ideas. He has a great sense of humor too.

After over 15 years, we still talk all the time. We never run out of things to discuss, and even when we agree it’s a pleasure to hear his perspective. Partly because of that, I love to spend time with my husband and still look forward to him getting home each night.

Because of my husband’s ADHD, he can still maintain the playfulness of a teenager and works well with being spontaneous.

My husband is my best friend. He makes me laugh.

My mate is funny and creative. He is also very interesting because he loves to learn new things and share it with me.

I am married to a wonderful man with ADHD — he has the most amazing verbal creativity and sense of humor. He energizes me every day.

Another positive area for many respondents had to do with partnership and intimacy:

Feeling like you have a true partner to face problems and difficulties with. Enjoying the children with the only other person on the planet who feels as close to them as I do.

He can be incredibly loving, in words and in physical expression…
Romance and true love which is frequently expressed

I like the attention he gives me when we are alone. He is very romantic and spontaneous, which I find very exciting.

I find that having someone with which to share all of life’s ups and downs with is one of the best aspects of marriage. I truly believe you need to be best friends and be able to maintain that type of relationship throughout the marriage. Your spouse should be the first person you call when you are happy , sad, stressed, etc.

These responses focused on family, including:

The greatest pleasure in my marriage is knowing that I am loved by my husband and that I have two great kids and a daughter-in-law who I get along well with.

Our family unit. The special time we have just the five of us enjoying life, whether it be in the yard or on the boat.

I find it interesting and inspiring that so many of these quotes (and there are more) place such emphasis on the friendship between partners. If you are thinking about what area of your relationship to work on next, consider activities that strengthen your bonds as friends.

This post comes from the “Thoughts on ADHD and Marriage” blog and forum hosted by Dr. Ned Hallowell and Melissa Orlov.