I can see Howie as having ADHD. He was always one of my favorites when I was young.

Those points are great not a requirement and success can be achieved by reviewing how we view ourselves and our situation.

* unconditional love from our parents
For me this will never happen but fortunately I was blessed with a little girl that fills that void for me while providing me a reason to want to succeed and move beyond my “disease”.

* finding out about the condition early in life
I found out at the age 12 and have studied myself and done tons of research which has helped me to keep perspective.

* giving up trying to fit in
This was a must for me and ultimately is what has lead to my greatest success’s. By understanding and accepting that I am different allows me to provide perspective and new ideas to any project that I involve myself.

* following your gut instincts rather than conventional paths
Again, this is another must that goes along with the one above. I allow my impulsiveness a bit of leeway to shakes things up a bit and just to see what happens. While there are times that it has lead the wrong direction it has also lead to some of my greatest breakthroughs.

* in adulthood, a loving partner / spouse who “gets you”
Still waiting for this one but I do not let that keep me from moving forward. I figure that someday she will come to me and until then I just put one step in front of the other.

* a passion for something
This has had a huge impact on me and my life. Before my daughter I had no direction or passion and it showed. I lived a minimalist life barely making it from day to day bound only by my impulses. My daughter was only the beginning because in my pursuit to be a better person for her has lead to me other passions and other outlets for my H!!!!