What do ADHD, Michael Phelps and 11 Olympic Gold medals have in common? ... Hyperfocus.
Michael Phelps, Olympic swimmer, diagnosed with ADHD when he was 9, has just won his 7th Gold Medal in 7 races. Hyperfocus (a trait of ADD & ADHD) is probably the reason Michael Phelps is so unstoppable.
Single-Minded "Other-Worldly" Concentration - Otherwise Known as Hyperfocus
While many are baffled and in awe by Michael Phelps' laser-like focus and single minded determination to win, win, win - those of us who know the qualities of ADD & ADHD understand the source his "other-worldly" concentration all too well - hyperfocus.
So many things can enter an Olympic swimmer's mind to throw them off their stroke - little things - let alone the awareness that the President of the United States is right there watching you, or that you could be about to win the the most gold medals in a row ever, or that your goggles fell off (that's right, Michael won one of his Gold medals blind, because his goggles filled with water halfway into the 200 butterfly).
While extraordinary, Michael Phelps' super-human ability to focus during an event is actually thanks to his inability to focus as a child. That's one of the gifts of ADHD - the ability to trigger laser-like focus in an instant and hold that focus to accomplish the most amazing things and crush even the toughest problems.
How to Trigger Hyperfocus
The question arises "How do you cultivate this hyperfocus?" "Sure, I know my child with ADHD can focus for hours on his Nintendo DS, but how can I get him to focus on his homework?!"
The answer is PASSION. Hyperfocus can only be effectively directed by passion or threat. So let's focus on passion. Michael Phelps is gifted for two reasons: He has ADHD and he found his passion - swimming. The combination of ADD (or ADHD) and your true passion for something results in an amazing ability to focus, persevere and triumph through all odds to achieve the aims of your passion.
Who knows, you or your child could be the next Michael Phelps (or DaVinci) of your passion's pursuit.
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