10 Benefits of Having Attention Deficit Disorder

There is a common misconception in the world that having ADD is a bad thing. While the ADD-wired brain certainly presents some challenges, it also offers some incredible benefits.

I thought this would be a great time to offer a reminder about how being different can be an advantage! The following is a list of characteristics that I consistently see in my clients, friends, and colleagues with ADD.

1. Compassion. People with ADD have a tremendous power to connect with other people. But it goes a step further than that. We also have an advanced ability to empathize with others, and to see many different perspectives.

TV personality Ty Pennington, host of TV's Extreme Home Makeover, has ADD.

2. Creativity. I've never met an ADDer who wasn't creative! Writers, painters, musicians, film makers, designers, sculptors, comedians - the list goes on! Artistic talents are abundant.

Musician Justin Timberlake has ADD.

3. Drive. When an ADDer is bored with a task, completing it can seem like torture. But give an ADDer an interesting project to work on and watch out! When we want to succeed, and we have the necessary tools to do so, there is no stopping us!

Olympic Gold Medalist and record-breaker Michael Phelps has ADD.

4. Problem Solving Ability. ADDers thrive on solving problems and puzzles. Give us an interesting problem to solve and we won't be able to drop it until we've found the solution!

Important historical inventors such as Thomas Edison is believed to have had ADD.

5. Hyper-Focus. The ability to hyper-focus is something that we ADDers can use to our advantage. When kept under control and directed towards productive tasks, like accomplishing goals and living dreams, it can be an incredible asset that allows us to get the job done, and done well!

David Neeleman, Founder and former CEO of Jet Blue Airways, has ADD.

6. Sense of Humor/Comedic Flair. Most ADDers love to laugh, and many also have a knack for making others laugh!

Famous comedian Howie Mandel has ADD.

7. Resiliency. There's no denying that even though there are many great qualities that come along with ADD, there are also challenges. But ADDers have an incredible ability to bounce back from those challenges.

Chef and Food Network star Tyler Florence has ADD.

8. Intuition. ADDers have a sharp sense of intuition. This may be due to highly tuned levels of perception, or great insight into the human mind, or something else that we have yet to understand. Whatever the reason, it's a very useful gift!

9. Idea Generating. ADDers are wonderful idea generators. We don't usually like to be bothered with details, but we can come up with ideas at lightning speed! We're a true asset in brainstorming meetings!

Entrepreneur Richard Branson of the Virgin empire has ADD.

10. That "Special Something". Many ADDers feel that they have a unique way of looking at the world, a perspective that others just don't understand. That is, until the ADDer meets other people with ADD! You might say that we're on our own wavelength!

And hey, ladies, let's see if we can't represent better! I know there are tons of famous women with ADD out there, and I'll be sure to keep you all posted when they start going public with their stories! :-)

Can you think of more benefits to having ADD? Do you know of any other famous people with ADD? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

Comments

[Cynthia Hammer]

Jennifer

Thank you for creating this list and highlighting real people that we know have been diagnosed with ADD. Hopefully, we are creating a world where it will be safer for more and more of us to bolder claim we have ADHD. Cudos to those in the public eye who have taken this step.

[Karen Kovic]

I read a comment that ADD'rs have trouble multi-tasking and could not disagree more. Not even knowing or realizing that I had ADD, I used it to my greatest advantage in my last positions as Admin/Exec Assistant. I was able to simultaneously juggle numerous responsibilities and projects (since no single one would keep my attention or concentration for long). I never got flustered or upset by frequent interruptions, phone calls or special requests for help in those "I need this yesterday"-type projects. Being able to quickly shift focus as needed was an asset in that type of position.

[Karen Brown]

I just looked up famous women with ADD and here are the names I found:

Emily Dickinson, Charlotte/Emily Bronte, Agatha Christie, Cher, Whoopie Goldberg, Ann Bancroft and Suzanne Somers