How Adult ADHD Naturally Gravitates Toward Peak Performance
The 5-Motivator Stack from Steven Kotler's The Art of Impossible
One of the hallmark traits of the ADHD Brain is its dysregulated systems for Dopamine & Adrenaline. This results in a system whose attention is driven by the “Biggest Signal”1. That signal can be anxiety, hunger, etc. It can also be excitement, curiosity, love, etc. How can we train our body to leverage this hardwired "Biggest Signal" bias?
Steven Kotler talks about Five Intrinsic Drivers that consistently light up these pathways & access a state of Peak Performance2 called Flow. These Five Motivators build upon one another to generate Peak Experiences.
Curiosity - Find things have always consistently & naturally sparked your interest in ways that generate perpetual curiosity. Dedicate space & time to cultivate your interest & curiosity in these things.
Passion(s) - Kotler defines Passion(s) as the “intersection of multiple curiosities” that “pull us outside of our self”; acting as a sort of eternally-fueled motivation-engine.
Purpose - a.k.a. “Massively Transformative Purpose”. This is born from your Passion(s). It is THE work that you do. It’s so big, so important, there’s more “doing”. Less talking. When you do it, it makes an impact. People are attracted to you, jump in to do it with you.
Autonomy - Once someone is aligned with their purpose, autonomy becomes a force multiplier, increasing your momentum.
Mastery - The combination of Purpose with Autonomy naturally lead to Mastery, becoming a your perpetual generator for Peak experiences.
What about ADHD impediments to this path?
How do we overcome those?
For that? You’ll need to tune in next time 😇
See link. Coaches Shelly Collins & Cameron Gott discuss this on a few different episodes of the Translating ADHD podcast. (https://translatingadhd.com)
Other good books on Peak Performance:
• Peak Performance, by Brad Stulberg & Steve Magness
• Performing Under Pressure, by Hendrie Weissinger, Ph.D. & Dr. J.P. Pawliw-Fry
• The Art of Impossible, by Steven Koteler