14 Comments
Sep 18Liked by Jen Zug

I too do my best work in a raging dumpster fire! 😅 Thanks again so much for sharing your journey. I have hesitated a long time to talk to my primary care provider about all this (even though she's cool and would in no way dismiss me or call me bonkers) and reading about your experiences has helped given me the courage to talk to her about this. Now to remember to actually send her a message 🤣

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Yay! I’m so glad that sharing my story has inspired bravery!

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I love that you keep sharing your aha moment with Amanda “How I make my way through the world may not look structured, but my heart is disciplined and aligned to what nourishes it.” - I need to hear this reminder, too. I feel so disorganized and pulled in different directions, constantly feeling like I’m not structured enough. But then when I take a step back, I see, too, that my heart is disciplined.

Secondly, it’s such a small aspect but I had a lightbulb moment reading about attention to detail and hyper focused problem solving. I don’t know why I didn’t realize sooner that this is why sometimes all of the details matter and sometimes it’s just…. Boring! 🥱

Thanks for sharing!

I hope you’re not too bored with this series yet ;) and I’m curious where your inspiration takes you next!

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Oops, I replied to your comment in the wrong place, apparently. Here it is: https://jenzug.substack.com/p/adhd-college-to-perimenopause/comment/69537458?r=6er4f&utm_medium=ios

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Sep 18Liked by Jen Zug

okay, i just had to laugh as you could be telling my story (though I've never gotten the ADHD diagnosis, it's pretty self-evident) and today, instead of doing my 'usual' tasks of entering data into an endless spreadsheet, i was given a 'detective' job of sorts and am having the time of my live doing a thorough investigation!

thank you for being so open and sharing so much.

Now i don't feel quite as out of place as i usually do!

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Awww, thank you NJ! Enjoy your detective work! 🥰

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You have me reconsidering how I have viewed my teaching career. I have long thought it was a bad fit (and sure, it was in some ways), but bored is one thing I rarely was. It was constantly changing, and I had a lot of control over what we did each day. Finding the right fit for who we are is so important! Glad you've found a better one.

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I'm wondering if becoming a private detective might be a good career move for you. Might not be social enough. Maybe after you retire. Or on the side.

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I’ve definitely felt a draw to something forensics related, like forensic accounting. I go down a lot of investigative rabbit holes, chasing a hunch or following a pattern.

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“I hope you’re not too bored with this series yet ;)” - I was a little bit, but mostly I worried other people were tired of it?! But the comments today have been lovely. i’m encouraged. ☺️

“I had a lightbulb moment reading about attention to detail and hyper focused problem solving. I don’t know why I didn’t realize sooner that this is why sometimes all of the details matter and sometimes it’s just…. Boring!” - YES!!! I was like, WHY do I sometimes spend hours reconciling my bank register to the penny AND LOVE IT and other times I can’t track with my grocery list?! 😂

Thank you so much for following along!

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“They assumed I was detail oriented and rewarded me with a detail-oriented job. “

Same, but no promotion. Nothing says “fun” like reconciling fuel totals (both dibutsements and receipts) and crosschecking them against the vendor’s totals.

Same with looking at flight schedules.

Every bit of this part of your story resonated with me; the thrill of finding a discrepancy, the quick crushing boredom, etc.

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Man, that Amanda B Hinton quote 💕💯 and that “SAD BACKSTORY!“ joke! That’s got some legs, thanks for sharing all of this 💞

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Yay for figuring out your super power! I love how our messy brains can sometimes figure things out before we're even aware of it.

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Awesome, awesome, awesome. Awesome, Jen. Hard relate - particularly the employment history. ❤️

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