by Jennifer Shakeel
As a parent, we want to do all we can to help our children. We want to see them succeed, feel as though they belong, have high self esteem and desire to achieve their dreams. When your child suffers with ADD/ADHD encouraging them to dream, and to strive for greatness can be difficult. They may be feeling alone, unconnected and frustrated. While you try to encourage them, sometimes it just isn’t enough. So here is a list of famous people who have Attention Deficit Disorder and are among the best in their field or industry.
Famous Inventers and Great Minds:
- Alexander Graham Bell – He invented the telephone
- Leonardo Di Vinci – A famous artist and inventor
- Thomas Edison – His teachers told him he was too stupid to learn anything!
- Albert Einstein – Physicist – Did you know that Einstein was four years old before he
could speak, and seven before he could read
Athletes:
- Michael Jordan – The Greatest Basketball Player EVER!
- Magic Johnson – A great basketball player
- Terry Bradshaw – Sports Announcer and former Football quarterback
- Bruce Jenner
Actors:
- Will Smith – A man that can do it all, rap, sing and act – He IS Legend!
- Bill Cosby
- Tom Cruise
- Kirk Douglas
- Jim Carrey
- Tracey Gold
- Whoopi Goldberg
- Robin Williams
Musicians/Composers/Artists:
- Beethoven
- Mozart
- Van Gogh
They Changed our World:
- Abraham Lincoln
- Henry Ford
- Andrew Carnegie
- Walt Disney – he was fired by a newspaper because his boss told him he “had no ideas”
- John F. Kennedy
- Winston Churchill – he has to repeat the sixth grade
- Anna Eleanor Roosevelt
- Orville and Wilbur Wright
Now, try to imagine your world without these people, the contributions they made, how they have made life better, easier or more enjoyable. There are many authors, entrepreneurs, architects and so forth that have ADHD. That did not stop anyone of these people from achieving their dreams, and while they are in a class of their own, it is not because of the ADHD that they stand alone, it is because of all they have achieved.
The simple fact that these people achieved what they have in their own fields has to make you wonder, is Attention Deficit Disorder really a disorder or a gift. There are researchers that have posed that very quandary. It is not uncommon for people that have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD to also be incredibly creative, and that helps them excel and succeed in what they want to do in life.
Please do not underestimate the capabilities of your child and don’t let them do that either. Sometimes what it takes is to let them see someone that is or was in the same situation as they are and succeed in spite of it. The best gift they could’ve gotten may very well be the fact that they have ADHD. You my child are not alone, you are in fact surrounded by and bound for greatness.
Biography
Jennifer Shakeel is a writer and former nurse. As a mother of two incredible children, I am here to share with you what I have learned about parenting. One of my children has ADD, our journey of learning to come to terms with the diagnosis and figuring out what works best for us has been a challenge and a joy. Our son was diagnosed about two and half years ago, and we have had our ups and downs, joys and sorrows. If I can just offer you one day of hope or one idea that may work to help you and your family then I know that my purpose has been fulfilled.
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This is truly inspiring. I work with children with ADHD and this article really will make a difference in the parents of those children.
It’s great for people to know that other people with ADD/ADHD can still be somebody!