Thursday, December 11, 2008

Adult ADHD: It Can be Fun Too...

The other day I was talking about a wedding I was asked to be in. I was going to be playing guitar in a praise band in the wedding that evening.

And I did. And it was great fun. (And an incredible honor to be asked.)

People know me for being one to take on new hobbies relatively often. This summer I'll be photographing my sister's wedding. You see, I'm known as a number of things:

-Photographer
-Guitarist
-Computer Programmer
-Small Group Leader
-Avid Runner
-Reader

Just the other day a coworker said to me, "Matt, you are so talented... You can do so many thing!"

It was an interesting observation, and I must admit, it made me feel good. But my response touched on the reality of it: "Yeah, I do a lot of stuff, but I don't do any one thing really, really well."

Each of the things I mentioned above are current or past hobbies. I'm quick to take on a new hobby, the the follow through is a bit more of a challenge. I have an interest in photography, and I've gotten *okay* at it, but I'm not great. I don't have the attention span to work on the details.

Same with guitar. I'm good enough to play at church and weddings... But I'm not really a great guitarist. In fact, I'm pretty much mediocre. Taking the skill of guitar playing to the next level requires deep attention and a devotion to practice.

Same with my career.

One day I decided I wanted to get into Yo-Yos. Seriously. I bought a bunch of Yo-Yos and learned to do some tricks and stuff. I spent money on getting fancy trick Yo-Yos. And then, after a while, I got bored with it.

One day I decided that I was going to take on the challenge of writing a book. About 5 chapters in I got bored... Like with this post. :-)

13 comments:

Jennifer said...

I LOVED this post...I, too, am good at a lot of things, but not great at any of them. I love learning how to do new things, but when it comes time to dig deep and learn all the fine points, I'm outta here...I can't sit for the deep stuff!! My daddy was the same way...I get it honest :)
School is about to do me in...research papers...argh. I love to read, but having to sit and think and sort through information....ack! I started back on my anti-depressants last week, and they haven't helped...they've slowed down my mind a little but they've also just made me tired and slow....*sigh*

David Edward said...

"like with this post"
perfect ending
your sense of humor is in good shape.

twinkie and the egg said...

David you seem more like a "Jack of all TRADES" be proud... Life is short plenty of time to rest when we are DEAD. :o)

David Edward said...

hi twinkie - this is a team blog - and MATT is the author here - but SO glad you visited
and what matt says almost always applies to me.
and Jennifer, we love your posts too!
isn't life marvelous with the creator nearby?

David Edward said...

matt, are those your yoyos on ebay???
or like me do you have a pile of "used to be interesting" stuff?

MTR said...

Haha. I tend to have a bunch of "used to be interesting" stuff laying around. :-)

Anonymous said...

David~

First post right off, and I was relating to what you're saying. My joke with most friends and family is I know a little bit about a lot of things. But not enough, on any one topic. Same with hobbies and jobs I take. With jobs, I make a more concerted effort to learn it sucessfully, but soon there after, I'm bored and ready to move on.
Blogging was an obsession for over a year, (which is actually pretty good for me) and has been sporadic ever since. Now, I have been playing with photography, and am enjoying it, but don't know how good I'll get before something else distracts me and I'm off in that direction.
My son was diagnosed with ADDS, and we're trying to tackel it with therapy, and working closely with his teachers and the Principal, as well as trying to teach him some practical ways to control his impulses. OK, I'll quit babbling.
But I thank you for visiting my weblog, and look forward to reading more.

3T

Bobkat said...

Well, they say variety is the spice of life :-)

Michele sent me to say hi.

Anonymous said...

I am the same way... I am "OK" at a variety of things, but I do not excel.

And then I get bored. And that's the problem.

:-) Bless you for sharing.

An Ordinary Christian said...

Yes, it is fun too.

Anonymous said...

Your interest in learning is inspiring. I came by way of Michele.

David Edward said...

by the way - THAT is a very good picture lesson of ADD in that guitar
some things too close, can't focus. Some things to far ( in the future) have a narrow field of vision on which I can concentrate at any one time.
Bless all those who are praying for Matt.

Anonymous said...

I dunno. Very few people in life ever get to be specialists, true aficionados of anything. Good to follow bliss even if one doesn't become top of field. It builds an appreciation for people who do crest.