Hello brains!

I say that to you because...
if you think about it.

It wasn't really you
that decided to come here today.

It was your brain.

And whether you decided 
to walk or drive, take a taxi, ride a bike

That decision was decided
by your brain.

Behavior, all behavior,
is affected by your brain.

This is a story about my brain.

So, I was a smart kid. By 18 months I
was speaking in full sentences.

By third grade I was scoring 
post high school on standardized tests.

I had as all my teacher's agreed,
so much potential.

I was also struggling.
I didn't have many... any friends.

Outside of books.
I was easily overwhelmed.

I spaced out in class.
I lost things, constantly.

And trying to get my brain to focus on 
something I wasn't excited about...

was like trying to nail Jell-O
to the wall.

But I was smart.
So nobody was worried.

It wasn't until middle school 
when I was responsible for

getting myself to classes on time,
and remembering to bring my own homework.

That being smart wasn't enough anymore,
and my grades started to suffer.

My mom took me to the doctor
and after a comprehensive evaluation.

I was diagnosed with
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

ADHD.

If you're not familiar with ADHD 
it has three primary characteristics.

Inattention, impulsivity, 
and hyperactivity.

Some people with ADHD 
have more of the inattentive presentation.

Those are the daydreamers,
the space cadets.

Some have more of 
the hyperactive/impulsive presentation.

Those are the kids that usually
get diagnosed early.

But, the most common presentation
is a combination of both.

My doctor and my parents decided 
that given my shiny new diagnosis.

Maybe stimulant medication would succeed,
where spankings and lectures had failed.

So I tried it.
And it worked.

The first time I took my medication 
it was like putting on glasses.

And realizing I could see, 
without squinting.

I could focus!

Without changing anything 
my GPA went up a full point.

Honestly it was kind of miraculous.
By 14 I had friends, that liked me.

By 15 I had published my first poem.
I got a boyfriend.

By 17 I knew I wanted 
to be a journalist.

My local college had a program that would
guarantee admission to USC.

They had a really 
great journalism program.

So, I signed up at my local college
and I started taking classes.

I moved in with my boyfriend.

Things were going great!
...until they weren't.

I started having trouble making it 
to class on time.

I aced a statistics course, 
but I forgot to sign up in time.

So, I never got the credit.

I took classes so I could help
my boyfriend with his career.

But I completely lost sight of mine.

I never made it to USC...

By 21 I dropped out of college
and moved back home.

Over the next ten years I started
and quit, or was fired from 15 jobs.

I ruined my credit.

I got married!
And was divorced within a year.

At this point I was 32, and I 
had no idea what I was doing with my life.

Besides reading self-help books
that didn't seem to be helping.

What h