Embracing My Inner Squirrel: How ADHD Became My Superpower

The Nutty Entrepreneur is Still Trying to Crack the Nut

Nov 21, 2024

You’re probably reading this because you also have ADHD. Or maybe you’re just a digitally distracted and busy entrepreneur. So, I’ll start with the ending. I didn’t even know that I had ADHD until I was nearly 50 years old!

Yup. Who knew?

Free A startled woman covers her mouth expressing surprise against a neutral background. Stock Photo

I was having a coffee in NYC with a bestie that I’ve known since kindergarten. She was talking about some of the learning challenges and special needs of her 13-year-old son. Naturally, I was giving her my full attention because:

a) it’s the right thing to do;

b) she’d exit stage left from our friendship if I was disrespectful;

c) the way she was describing her son’s behavior sounded eerily familiar;

d) I was drinking a BIG cup of coffee, so I was jacked on caffeine!

Then she said something that changed everything for me, “You know, Lor, you’re the same. You’ve got a special way of thinking.”

I replied (with my jaw dipping down into my coffee mug), “You mean I have …”

“Yup,” she said matter-of-factly.

Squirrrrrrrrrrrelllllllllll! 🐿️🐿️🐿️

Looking Back

Hmmm. Who knew? I honestly hadn’t thought about it until that very moment.

Because we grew up together, it was easy to dive into a reflective session on my childhood. “Remember how your Dad never stayed seated throughout an entire dinner?” she nudged. “And how he got up at least 20 times in the middle of the meal to do whatever it is he did?”

LIGHTBULB moment right there.

My sisters and I used to joke that Dad was like one of those Mexican Jumping Beans that somehow magically hopped and danced around in the little plastic box that the arcade games spat out.

“Okay,” I mused and played along. “I can see some parallels. But I can sit for hours at a time reading or writing a book. Doesn’t my intense focus disqualify the theory that I have ADHD?”

Apparently not.

When neurodivergent folks like something, as in when we are fully dialed in, we can spend hours locked into whatever it is that amuses us. The official terms for these phenomena are “interest-based attention” and “hyperfocus.”

If you’re a fellow small business owner or “just” another squirrel trying to crack the nut, please subscribe now!

The Turning Point

Well then. “I stand corrected,” I said apologetically, which somehow triggered a bad case of the giggles.

Free Two diverse women enjoying coffee together in a modern office setting. Stock Photo

Hyperfocus is a state of mind where an individual becomes so totally engrossed in an activity that we may become oblivious to our surroundings or neglect our responsibilities. Sure, this can lead to productive outcomes when the focus is directed toward work or creative projects that need to be finished under a deadline. But it can also spell trouble because we’ll skip essential tasks like eating or sleeping if not managed properly.

Case in point, it’s after midnight. I’m still at my desk cranking away. And I started at 8am. Although I did eat lunch because the iced coffee that I drank this morning was jacked – so I needed some food to counter the caffeine intolerance that I have.

Individuals with ADHD often overflow with creativity and excitement – woot woot! Hence the opportunity to convert it into a superpower. This is especially relevant when pursuing new experiences or hobbies. Intense focus can lead to significant achievements in areas of interest because we’re stimulated by whatever we’re doing. The flipside, however, well … it’s pretty much procrastination at all costs to avoid the things that don’t captivate our interests.

Like goal setting. Or KPIs. Damn metrics!

Can’t Make the Switch

While hyperfocus can be beneficial, some of us with ADHD may struggle to switch tasks once we are deeply engaged in an activity. Duh. This happens frequently throughout my day – everyday. When I’m my “zone of genius” and somebody calls, “UGH!” Instantly distracted and not too happy about it either. This switching difficulty can make it challenging to complete uninteresting tasks that require our attention, and we’ll end up doing dumb sh*t like not looking at our calendar and missing scheduled zoom calls.

Guilty as charged.

All this, of course, leads to misunderstandings. Struggles. And ya, a whole lot of guilt.

I feel badly about that missed meetings bit though because I’ve missed a few (okay, more than a few) zooms over the past few years. Ironically, the last missed zoom was with a writer on Substack who focuses on digital exhaustion. I publicly apologized to her for missing our scheduled call – twice. As a problem solver, I wanted to do better than apologize and figure out how not to miss anyone else’s scheduled zoom.

That’s when I decided to truly embrace my ADHD as a superpower. Just call me, “Super Squirrel!” I’ve even updated my Substack channel to reflect this shift. This channel was formerly called, “Success Redefined,” but that’s kind of yawn-city. So, at least for the foreseeable future or until I get bored with it [TBD which one comes first], this channel will be called, “🐿️The Successful Squirrel.”

Labeling this behavior with a cute name and accompanying image doesn’t excuse me from missing zooms and being a crappy human being. But it does raise my self-awareness waaaaaaaay up so that I am now forced to be accountable to myself and to my zoom peeps.

I’m a Small Biz Squirrel 🐿️

Incessantly trying to crack the nut but convinced I’m on the right path. Until I’m not. Then I retool. Pivot. Reinvent. Or do whatever it is that’s more interesting than rethinking stuff that I’ve already passed over.

Inasmuch as “interest-based attention” and “hyperfocus” are each “a thing,” reality eventually catches up. Like right now. I’m yawning. My butt hurts from sitting in my chair all freakin’ day. And the little squirrels running around in the wheel in my head are kinda done with me for today. When they need to rest, they let me know. And now would be that time.

Stay tuned for Part 2 as I dive into my entrepreneurial journey as Super Squirrel. I’ll share the highs (massive creativity and uber focus) and lows (missed zoom calls are nothin’ compared to the cost of lost opportunities). More to come!!

Are you a squirrel?!