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[quote=Anonymous]I hated high school. I was curious as a kid, and I was smart enough to get by in school, but I was a massive underachiever. Thing is, everyone around me was so motivated by grades — did they get a 97 or 98 on the quiz, and how will that affect their class ranking, and did so-and-so really only get a 92? It all seemed like a dumb game, one I had no interest in playing.

By 16 I was acting out — drinking way too much and skipping school, doing just enough for classes to do okay-not-great. I went to college, a small not super competitive LAC. There, without the constant grade obsession, I began to remember that learning was interesting for its own sake. The world was interesting, as it turned out, so the things you could learn about it were, too. Still had no idea what I wanted. Tried to take a gap year halfway through college, because some part of me knew that college could be a big opportunity if I just had a sense of what I wanted. But my parents refused to let me take time off (they feared I’d never go back — fair, given how I’d been in hs) so I muddled through.

Got some random jobs after. I liked working, liked knowing that my work mattered, even if it was just to the people around me. I liked independence. It wasn’t a dazzling career, but it was okay.

Then in my late 30s two things happened: (1) I made a huge career shift where I began working for myself in a more creative field. (2) I was diagnosed with ADHD, which suddenly clicked my whole past into place. With this diagnosis I changed my systems for getting things done. I’ve done very well since.

I think I just needed to find my “why.” Doing things because I was supposed wasn’t enough. And the late-in-life diagnosis helped me too — it was like a roadmap for getting out of my own way.

For the record I adore the kids who need to find their why. They are my people. I hope this is helpful. Good luck. [/quote]

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