Boulders In Your Backpack

Have you ever seen a track race? Maybe in the Olympics or at high school. Imagine a 400 meter race. Picture five people at the starting line. Four out of the five runners are wearing running attire, while the fifth runner also has a 30 pound backpack filled with rocks. That’s a lot of extra weight! It is clear that the fifth runner will not win; he is at a disadvantage. But will the fifth runner be a “loser?”

 

Nope. Absolutely not.

 

If you don’t have ADHD, think about being the runner with the heavy backpack. There are definitely some disadvantages. But, it is also important to remember that running a race with a backpack makes you stronger when the race is over. So after you are done running the race, you will be strong in so many ways that will be truly valuable in your life.

 

Who crosses the finish line first does not reflect who worked the hardest to complete the race, and who is the strongest runner. Think of this in the context of school. Does the person with best grades at school always become the most successful adult? Heck no. What matters are the skills and strategies you create over the years and later in life. These strategies will help you run your race with more ease and enthusiasm.

 

To be successful, you first have to learn how to face and tackle challenges. Everyone does. For ADDYTeens, facing challenges requires extra work. That is the point of the story about the backpack, life with ADHD takes extra work. Fair? Heck no.