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Hello brains!
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I say that to you because...
if you think about it.
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It wasn't really you
that decided to come here today.
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It was your brain.
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And whether you decided
to walk or drive, take a taxi, ride a bike
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That decision was decided
by your brain.
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Behavior, all behavior,
is affected by your brain.
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This is a story about my brain.
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So, I was a smart kid. By 18 months I
was speaking in full sentences.
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By third grade I was scoring
post high school on standardized tests.
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I had as all my teacher's agreed,
so much potential.
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I was also struggling.
I didn't have many... any friends.
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Outside of books.
I was easily overwhelmed.
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I spaced out in class.
I lost things, constantly.
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And trying to get my brain to focus on
something I wasn't excited about...
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was like trying to nail Jell-O
to the wall.
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But I was smart.
So nobody was worried.
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It wasn't until middle school
when I was responsible for
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getting myself to classes on time,
and remembering to bring my own homework.
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That being smart wasn't enough anymore,
and my grades started to suffer.
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My mom took me to the doctor
and after a comprehensive evaluation.
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I was diagnosed with
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
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ADHD.
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If you're not familiar with ADHD
it has three primary characteristics.
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Inattention, impulsivity,
and hyperactivity.
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Some people with ADHD
have more of the inattentive presentation.
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Those are the daydreamers,
the space cadets.
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Some have more of
the hyperactive/impulsive presentation.
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Those are the kids that usually
get diagnosed early.
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But, the most common presentation
is a combination of both.
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My doctor and my parents decided
that given my shiny new diagnosis.
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Maybe stimulant medication would succeed,
where spankings and lectures had failed.
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So I tried it.
And it worked.
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The first time I took my medication
it was like putting on glasses.
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And realizing I could see,
without squinting.
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I could focus!
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Without changing anything
my GPA went up a full point.
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Honestly it was kind of miraculous.
By 14 I had friends, that liked me.
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By 15 I had published my first poem.
I got a boyfriend.
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By 17 I knew I wanted
to be a journalist.
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My local college had a program that would
guarantee admission to USC.
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They had a really
great journalism program.
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So, I signed up at my local college
and I started taking classes.
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I moved in with my boyfriend.
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Things were going great!
...until they weren't.
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I started having trouble making it
to class on time.
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I aced a statistics course,
but I forgot to sign up in time.
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So, I never got the credit.
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I took classes so I could help
my boyfriend with his career.
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But I completely lost sight of mine.
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I never made it to USC...
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By 21 I dropped out of college
and moved back home.
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Over the next ten years I started
and quit, or was fired from 15 jobs.
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I ruined my credit.
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I got married!
And was divorced within a year.
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At this point I was 32, and I
had no idea what I was doing with my life.
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Besides reading self-help books
that didn't seem to be helping.
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What h
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