Could this actually be your entrepreneurial or marketing ADVANTAGE?

Could this actually be your entrepreneurial or marketing ADVANTAGE?

Some days, I don’t really know what to write about.

Today happens to be one of those days.

Which can end up being a pretty big problem when you’ve made a solemn promise to your list of subscribers and regular readers to write and publish an email every day.

But on days like this, I remember something important.

You won’t write anything good if you’re not writing — so write.

So that’s what I’m going to do. And as I sit down to write this email, I come up with an idea.

You see, at my workshop last week, we made an interesting observation.

I let it slip that I have ADHD. The Inattentive subtype. Which means you don’t see my body bouncing off the walls, but my mind does.

Turns out, more than half the attendees either had been diagnosed as ADHD, felt they had a level of symptoms that could get them diagnosed, or had an immediate family member with ADHD.

This isn’t totally a surprise to me. You see, I haven’t kept it a deep, dark secret that I have ADHD. In fact, I’ve written about it before.

And so, if you’re on my list and read my emails, you probably know I have ADHD.

But it actually goes a lot deeper than that.

Now, I write about ADHD because it’s a real aspect of my experience.

It’s part of my life. And you can’t write 1,000 words a day, fast, without letting slip some personal and private aspects of your life. It’s only natural that this one slips through.

That wasn’t the only reason I’ve written about ADHD though.

A quick Google search tells me about 5% of children have an ADHD diagnosis. Which means about 5% of parents have kids with ADHD (it doesn’t quite work that way, but it’s a good estimate). And many of those parents have either diagnosed or undiagnosed ADHD themselves.

But I’ve made another observation. Those of us in the copywriting and entrepreneurial worlds seem to have a much higher rate of ADHD. Some diagnosed, some just showing a lot of the symptoms.

Interesting. Is it that we’re all misfits who can’t stick to a job very well, and so we are forced to make our own way? Is it that ADHD gives us some advantages in being entrepreneurial that others without ADHD don’t have? Both?

I digress…

What does this have to do with why I choose to write about ADHD?

Simple. Let’s say me and another “guru” — if you want to use this term — both write about direct marketing. And both of us provide interesting insights on various marketing topics. Both of us connect with you on this intellectual level for our understanding of direct marketing.

But let’s say YOU have ADHD. And between the two “gurus,” I’m the one who shares that I have ADHD.

Well suddenly, if everything else is the same, you have suddenly connected with me on a much deeper level than your other “guru.” (I’m not totally comfortable with that term — hence the quotes.)

By our shared experience of ADHD, you find yourself more interested in me as a person (not just in me as a source of marketing information).

While the marketing information I deliver may be largely the same as the other person, you will be more likely to open my emails. You’ll be more likely to dig deeper into what I have to offer. You’ll be more interested in my products, events, and services.

NOT because I offer better marketing information — but because of this shared experience outside of marketing.

What makes ADHD doubly-powerful in this regard is it’s seen by many as a “weakness” — which means my success is seen as more of an underdog story that you associate with and would like to see yourself in as well.

Back to the workshop — it’s no coincidence that more than 50% of attendees had family or personal experience with ADHD…

Even in writing about it ever-so-briefly, those who shared that experience connected with me on a much deeper level.

They were more prone to respond.

Then again, anybody who has anything they may perceive as a personal weakness would be more interested and likely to respond. Because they’ve seen me “fight this demon.” And win — at least for now.

So…

Do you have ADHD (or any other condition that makes you think in different ways)?

I’ll wrap up by saying you shouldn’t see it as a weakness. You shouldn’t see yourself succeeding “in spite of” ADHD or whatever differences you have.

And I’ve started to believe pretty strongly (from personal experience) that you shouldn’t medicate it, either.

You should embrace it.

Yes, ADHD will cause you to fail to fit in. In school, where equal focused attention on things you love and hate is expected, it may cause you to fail.

But there’s a reason such a high number of successful entrepreneurs show ADHD tendencies.

It can be an incredible advantage to think differently and be willing to dive in where others won’t.

It can be a source of abundance in your life.

It’s a matter of finding a fit — and channeling it.

Same thing for your kids. If you find yourself dealing with kids having trouble in school because of an ADHD diagnosis, don’t worry too much.

Try to help them find their thing. Try to find their outlet.

While things that bore them will be tough for them, things that interest them will give them a chance to shine brighter than you ever imagined.

Just be their partner in helping them find that personal breakthrough.

I hope you’ll forgive the diversion — and that you caught the really powerful marketing lesson I threw in the middle.

Have a great weekend.

Yours for bigger breakthroughs,

Roy Furr

Editor, Breakthrough Marketing Secrets