Our world tends to look down on failure. Which is unfortunate, because people with ADHD tend to fail a lot. We learn by doing. - Maren Goerss

My kids fail all the time. I fail all the time. And that’s awesome!

Just recently one of my kids bailed on a sport they tried. At first, I was disappointed in yet another failed experience. But when I thought about it more, I was SO happy they had tried that sport, even for a short time.

They learned so much about themselves. It was WAY out of their comfort zone. They grew in confidence. I can’t believe how amazing this kid is!

Our world tends to look down on failure. Which is unfortunate, because people with ADHD tend to fail a lot. We learn by doing.

I think the happiest, most fulfilled people in our world have learned to fail well. They were willing to put themselves out there into a school, a career, an experience, or a relationship they knew would be great for them, but at which they were afraid of failing.

Failing teaches us these powerful lessons:

1. We find out what does not work. When people with ADHD are told something doesn’t work, we half know it. When we experience something not working, we 100% know it. We are much more likely to recalculate.

2. We become self-aware. Our radar starts getting tuned in to what we’ve experienced in the past, and after several failures, we start to see patterns. We get to know a better sense of how we work, what we need, and what to look for next time.

3. We become unafraid. When we uncover the enigma of failure, we realize it’s really not awful. In fact, we can be proud of what we’ve tried. We’re more likely to try something where there is a chance of failure… and then we actually find the things, the career, the activities, and the people we love most.

Let’s celebrate our failures, our kids’ flops, and everyone’s whoopsie daisies!

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